No Need for Love
by RinTR
Summary: REWRITTEN. "Kyoko Mom Challange." Abandoned by her childhood love, Kyoko seeks revenge through showbusiness; however, she doesn't have long to debut- 9 months. Pregnant with Shou's child, how will she make it in the entertainment business? Rated T for some suggestiveness. RenXKyoko
1. Chapter 1-Rewrite

Ok, sorry for the wait! I've been really busy with school. Well enough of my problems-

I rewrote this because I figured the story would be too long, so I'm starting around chapter 37. The old chapters might be used as flashbacks.

*Note* The timeline in this fanfiction will be completely different; this chapter actually takes place about 2 1/2 months after Kyoko is abandoned by Sho. (Still for Kyoko Mom Challenge [Huh. I wonder what this story could possibly be about?])

By the way, this chapter is pretty much from the manga until the end, so if you are bored, just skip to the end.

As usual, thoughts are in italics.

* * *

**Chapter 1**

No matter how many times she saw the Kurara commercial, Kyoko couldn't help but get flustered. _I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing myself on TV!_

As she stopped to watch the commercial, she overheard two guys talking. "Ahhh, it's the Kurara commercial again," began the first.

"The girls in this commercial are really cute," the other commented.

"If I had to choose though, I'd definitely say the long black haired one is more beautiful," said the first. Kyoko nodded; she acknowledged that Moko was much more beautiful than herself.

"Ya, the other one is kind of... ordinary. She isn't bad, but she's plain for a celebrity, don't you think?" Kyoko cringed at the words.

"Ya, she just lacks charisma in my opinion." Each word was like a knife cutting into Kyoko's pride.

_Charisma, huh... I know I don't have the natural beauty Moko-san has... but for some reason... That really pisses me off!_ By this point, her demons had scared away everyone around her, including the boys who had said those things. Her aura was a void that killed all goodness in its way. Everyone stepped out of her path as she stomped off to LME.

As she entered the LME building, she realized why the comment had infuriated her so: "...plain...lacks charisma..."... "...plain with no sex appeal..."

_SHOUTAROU! Why does everyone act like your minions?! _She began punching the air furiously in an effort to release her anger. The ringing of her phone gradually pulled her out of her rage. Is it Moko-san? Maybe it's Sawara-san? she thought as she pulled out her phone. "Hello?"

"Hi," a familiar voice reached her ears. _This voice... This tone... It can't be..._ Unable to respond, she just stood there like a deer in the headlights. "It always takes you so long to answer your phone." Hearing no response, Ren simply continued, "Also, as someone who has been on TV, you probably shouldn't be doing... whatever it is you are doing. Strange behavior tends to scare people away. As an actress and as a lady, you shouldn't make such scary faces!" The amusement in his voice was impossible not to hear. _He's here! But where?_ She looked around for some sign of Ren. Kyoko heard a chuckle coming from above her head and looked up. _Yashiro and Tsuruga-san!_ She dashed to the elevator and then to Ren and Yashiro.

"Hi, Kyoko!" Yashiro said with a smile. "I saw the commercial. Great job! You looked very cute in it!"

"Thank you very much...," Kyoko grumbled as her head drooped gloomily.

_Eh? She seems angry_, Yashiro realized.

Kyoko raised her head and faked a cheery smile. "Well let's change this boring topic and talk about something more useful to our time."

_Boring? After she worked so hard for that job?_ Yashiro thought, thoroughly confused.

"Anyway... How did you get my cell phone number?" Kyoko inquired.

"Ahh... I was looking for you, so Sawara-san gave me it," Ren explained.

"You wanted to find me? Why?"

Ren ignored her question momentarily. "You're not wearing your LoveMe uniform. You're wearing your school uniform."

"Oh, that... I came straight from school so..."

"School... That's great! It suits you very nicely." A genuine smile crossed Ren's lips.

Kyoko turned red in an instant at the comment and gesture. "T-thank you, Tsuruga-san." She bowed slightly.

"I heard you got a perfect score on the entrance exam," Ren said, the smile still exuberant as ever.

"Wow, Kyoko! That's amazing!" Yashiro exclaimed.

"Ahh thanks!" Kyoko grinned. "Actually, it was you, Tsuruga-san, who helped take all the pressure off me. Thank you very much!" she gleefully said. She bowed in thanks.

Yashiro smiled at Kyoko before glancing over at Ren, only to find him with a look of blissful content on his face. _Ren?!_ It wasn't a fake smile, but a real one full of gratitude and, possibly, love. Yashiro gasped silently_. Is Ren... falling in love?_

"The one who should be thanking someone should be me," Ren admitted. "You left so soon after you dropped me off at the set that I never even got to thank you for being my temporary manager."

He took the heart-shaped stamp book and gently pressed a stamp onto a page.

"I never thought you would be giving me any points for this because I just did normal manager duties. Cooking, looking after you when you're sick, making sure you have perfect attendance... Those are just things a normal manager would do, right?"

"No not really," Yashiro murmured too quietly for either to hear. "Maybe if they have a special relationship, but not normally..." _ Is Kyoko falling for Ren?!_ Yashiro's innermost thoughts were almost spoken aloud.

"Since it was just part of my job, I feel very flattered you decided to thank me. I mean, it would've been my fault if you had to miss a day. Anyway, I was just trying to do a manager's job to the best of my ability," she continued, rambling.

_So it wasn't love, but self-satisfaction?_ Yashiro looked downcast. He was really a sucker for romance and hoped there would be mutual attraction between the two.

Ren's smile faded away and was replaced by a small frown tinged with disappointment. Neither Yashiro nor Kyoko noticed as he made several edits to the stamp page.

"Mogami-san... It's done."

Kyoko and Yashiro spun to face Ren, startled at how he addressed her. Anxiously, Kyoko accepted the book.

100... minus 10? "Tsuruga-san... What is this?"

"It's 90 points. Obviously."

"But why is there an 100 stamp and then a minus 10 stamp? What did you deduct for?"

"Oh, not anything in particular. I just used the wrong stamp at first. Sorry about that." The shiniest gentleman's smile Kyoko had ever seen crept over his face. Both Yashiro and Kyoko were struck with fear. Terrified, Kyoko began to walk backwards. She suddenly felt a dizzy spell overtake her; she swayed as she continued away from them.

"Let's go Yashiro," Ren commanded.

"But..." Yashiro whimpered. Ren had already begun striding away. Yashiro turned to make sure Kyoko, who had not spoken in quite a while, was all right. She was leaning against the wall, struggling to remain upright.

"Ren!" Yashiro called. "I think something is wrong with Kyoko!"

Ren spun around in an instant. His gaze settled on Kyoko, her form hunched over as she covered her mouth with her hand. Yashiro had already walked over to her and was rubbing her back in a circular motion. Faster than he had walked away, Ren made his way to Kyoko.

"Are you sick?" Ren asked. She shrugged in reply. He placed one hand on his forehead and the other on hers. "You don't feel too warm. Maybe you caught something when you were looking after me," he suggested.

"Nah, you had a cold. I don't think this is a cold," Kyoko managed to say before the nausea caused her to cover her mouth again.

He looked Yashiro in the eye, pleading silently for him to tell him what to do. Yashiro got the message and motioned for Ren to help support her.

Ren slid his arm under her arm and around her back. He gently lifted her off the ground, holding her princess style. "Let's get you to a doctor," Ren said.

"But... you have work...," she choked out.

"That's okay," Yashiro assured her. "We can cancel some things today. After all, it's the least we can do. You took care of Ren while he was sick, so we should do the same for you."

Kyoko smiled weakly. She opened her mouth to thank them but ended up vomiting all over herself and Ren.

* * *

So sorry if you liked the other version better! Thank you very much for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Hi! Thank you for reading, following, favoriting, and/or reviewing! It makes me happy to know some people like this.

You know what I just realized I've been forgetting? -the disclaimer! Well, it's kind of obvious I don't own the original story or characters... I see no point in this. Do the people who own this stuff really have nothing better to do than go around suing people? Don't expect another disclaimer from me because I'm super lazy. Hahaha there I go again with pointless rambling...

Well, enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 2**

"For the last time, I feel perfectly fine now!" Kyoko repeated. "I probably just ate some food that was bad!" A disbelieving and slightly angry Ren in a vomit-free change of clothes stood before her.

"And for the last time, you are sick! People don't just throw up and then shrug it off!" Ren's temper was growing with her denial.

"I'm fine."

"You're sick."

"I said, I'm fine!"

"And I said, you're sick!"

Yashiro watched from a safe distance as this pointless battle of pride raged on. "Why do they remind me of a bickering married couple?" he sighed. _Kyoko should just admit that she doesn't feel good, and Ren should back off a little. They're both so oblivious when it comes to love._ Yashiro smirked, remembering the events following Kyoko's sickness. _I knew I was right._

* * *

**Flashback**

Kyoko opened her mouth to say thanks, but she was silenced by the bile rising up her throat. She quickly tried to cover her mouth again, but it was too late. She didn't even have time to turn herself away from Ren so he could avoid the spray. Her stomach was violently emptied of its contents in a matter of seconds. The liquid stained her school uniform as well as Ren's jacket and shirt.

Her face became a mixture of embarrassment and remorse. "I-I..." she whimpered in frustration, unable to form words. Her face flushed redder than a fire truck. "I-I'm so sorry Tsuruga-san!" she cried. She leapt from his arms and promptly did a hundred dozega. "I d-didn't mean to...," she stammered. "Please forgive me!" She lay flat on the ground as possible with her eyes clenched shut, worried about his inevitable anger.

Instead of an angry remark, however, Ren let out a quiet chuckle. _He's... Laughing?,_ Kyoko thought. Ren noticed Kyoko's bewilderment, and he laughed even harder, although he tried to restrain himself.

"What's so funny?" Kyoko asked, puzzled. She slowly looked up.

"She's so cute...," he accidentally whispered. Lucky for him, Kyoko missed the words. Unfortunately for him, though, Yashiro heard them clear as a whistle.

"Did you think I would be mad? This clearly wasn't intentional, so why should I hold a grudge?" He smiled compassionately and lovingly. Kyoko may have been blind to the obvious lovestruck look in his eyes, but Yashiro was not so dense. Ren outstretched his hand to Kyoko. "Let's go get cleaned up. Unless you feel like throwing up on me again," he joked. Hesitantly, Kyoko allowed him to help her up.

(Yashiro took a mental photo of this moment so he could nag Ren later.)

Kyoko swayed a bit as she stood. "Are you okay to stand?" Ren asked, concerned. "I can carry you if you want."

"I'm fine, thank you. I just suddenly felt a little tired," she said. They began the walk to the LoveMe room. (Yashiro figured it would be best to leave them alone, so he spied from a distance.)

"As soon as we clean up a bit, I'm taking you home. If you aren't feeling better by tomorrow, you are going to go see a doctor."

Kyoko tried to protest, "I'm fine, really. Thanks for the thought, though."

"Kyoko," he began with a gentlemanly smile, "you just threw up. I think it is safe to say that you are lying."

"I know it's weird, but I feel fine now. I promise I'm not lying." She cowered at his smile but still told the truth. She really did feel a lot better.

"You clearly aren't fine."

"But I feel fine."

"You yourself taught me that denial of symptoms leads to a worse sickness later on."

"It's not denial if I'm telling the truth!"

By this point, they had reached the dressing room.

"We'll continue this later," Ren gave a frightening smile.

Shaking, Kyoko dashed into the locker room. Ren went to his respective dressing room to wash up as well.

* * *

**Present**

"Let's go, Yashiro," Ren's voice brought him back to reality. Ren had flung Kyoko, despite her protests, over his shoulder.

"Y-Yes!" Yashiro swiftly responded.

"Tsuruga-san! Please put me down!" Kyoko pleaded.

"No way," he adamantly replied. Ignoring her completely, he managed to carry her to his car.

Kyoko finally stopped resisting and simply got into his car. _Better safe than sorry, I guess,_ she thought. _I do feel really tired actually... Maybe I have the flu?_ Before they even left LME, Kyoko drifted off into blackness.

* * *

Kyoko awoke in a room that was not her own, but she recognized it without any trouble. She was in Ren's room. Her eyes widened as she bolted upward. _When did I...? How...? _Yashiro peeked inside the room just as Kyoko woke up.

"Ahhh, Ren! It looks like Sleeping Beauty is awake!" Yashiro called.

"I'll be right there!" Ren shouted from the kitchen.

"Sleeping Beauty?! As in the princess?! Where?!" Kyoko looked around the room. There was no one else in this room, which left Kyoko disappointed. "I'm the only one in here, Yashiro! Where is she?"

"Ehhh? Where's who?" Yashiro inquired.

"The princess! Is she here?" a very excited Kyoko asked.

"Yes, in fact, she's right in front of me," he responded.

Kyoko turned around, following Yashiro's line of vision. "I don't see her," she pouted. "Why can't I see her?"

"Well...," Yashiro paused to try and think of a way how to dig himself out of this one. He had failed to take Kyoko's naive personality into account. Thankfully for him, Ren popped into the room, sparing him from embarrassing himself further.

"Good morning," Ren greeted. _Morning?_ _What time was it again?_

Kyoko looked at the digital clock on the nightstand. 7:32 A.M... Her eyes widened to the size of golf balls.

"Tsuruga-san, Yashiro-san... I'M SO SORRY!" she yelled. "I had no clue I had intruded in Tsuruga-san's house or that I made you both take care of me for a whole night! I'm sorry!"

Both laughed. "It wasn't your fault," Ren stated. "We didn't know where your house was, so we just brought you here. You were sick."

"But if you have this much energy, I'd say you're much better now," Yashiro said.

"We're just glad you seem to be doing all right," Ren added. "We were pretty worried when you suddenly fell asleep like that."

"Ren was especially worried," Yashiro teased. "He even tried to make you breakfast this morning." He paused. "If I were you, though, I would stay away from whatever monstrosity he managed to make," he whispered.

Kyoko smiled at this. "Thank you both very much! I'm sorry I troubled you so much."

"It wasn't trouble at all," both Ren and Yashiro agreed.

"You did the same for me," Ren said, "but your food was probably a lot better than my attempt."

"Oh, I'm sure it tastes fine!" Kyoko assured him. "I just wish I would've been able to make breakfast for you both." Her stomach growled loudly from missing dinner the previous night, and she blushed slightly. "I guess talking about food makes me hungry."

"What are we waiting for, then? Breakfast is ready!" Ren said, proud of his cooking feat.

Kyoko stood, and the three walked to the kitchen.

"I don't have to eat this, right?" Yashiro hoped.

"I'd prefer that you didn't criticize my cooking," Ren responded, "but if you want breakfast, this is all you get."

Yashiro frowned. "But...," he began. He stopped when he saw Kyoko's face contort. She quickly covered her mouth and dashed to the nearest bathroom. "See... even Kyoko doesn't want to try your food." Ren glared at him, not amused by his joke.

They heard the painful sound of retching coming from the bathroom and ran to her side.

* * *

Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed it! I'll have another chapter up soon.


	3. Chapter 3

Hi! I'm sorry it took so long; finals are really stressful T-T Well, this chapter is a little longer anyway, so I'm hoping that you will forgive me.

* * *

**Chapter 3**

The sound of Kyoko's gagging was drowned out by two _very_ concerned men who had rushed to help her.

"I don't mean to say I told you so... But I told you Ren's cooking would lead to this," Yashiro scolded jokingly. He would have taken the joke further, but Ren's scowl silenced him.

"You know that wasn't the only thing to blame for this," Ren defended himself. "Kyoko, how long can you keep this charade up?"

She choked another gush of vomit out of her throat. "What do you mean?" she gasped, trying to stop throwing up.

"Ren! Be more considerate!" Yashiro accused. "Kyoko, you don't have to respond to Ren. Just pretend he isn't here."

Yashiro couldn't have been further away from Ren's good side. Ren smiled unblinkingly, scaring Yashiro speechless. Kyoko stopped throwing up and panted in an effort to catch her breath. Ren turned the full force of his angry trance onto Kyoko.

"You. Are going. To see a doctor. Now." He nearly yelled, pausing for emphasis.

Kyoko sighed; there was no avoiding Ren's persistence. "Okay, okay- you win. I'll make an appointment today, but I have one condition," she finally agreed.

"What is it?" Ren asked.

"You two won't come with me," she said defiantly.

"Hey, we won't bother you!" Yashiro defended.

"Ahh, it's not that, but you two should be working! If you took anther day off because of me, I would feel terrible."

"It's no trouble for us to come!" Yashiro exclaimed. "We would only take an hour or so off to make sure you got there alright."

"No! I couldn't do that! It's fine, really," she assured.

_So stubborn_, Ren thought. _Always thinking about others before herself and then refusing their help. When's the last time she thought about her own well being?_ Ren sighed in defeat. "Do you promise us that you'll go?"

Kyoko and Yashiro stared at him, shocked. Ren had given in. Receiving no answer, Ren repeated his question, "Can you promise us you will go see a doctor?"

"A-ah, yes!" She snapped out of her shocked state. "I promise!"

Ren smiled. "And you won't go to LME today?"

"I promise!" she responded.

"And you will stay here until you have gotten better?"

"I pr- Hey!" Kyoko caught on mid-sentence.

"What was that sound, Yashiro?" Ren turned to leave.

"What _ever_ are you talking about?" He also turned to leave. They both began to walk to the door. Kyoko noticed as Ren got out his wallet and placed more than enough money for a doctor's visit on the nearest counter. "I'm just going to leave this money here. You never know when someone might need to see a doctor.

"H-hey!" Kyoko protested. She ran after them into the living room.

"I don't really know where Kyoko suddenly disappeared to," Ren stared at her menacingly, "but she had better keep her promises." He and Yashiro gave equally frightful smiles as she stumbled backwards onto the couch and cowered until they shut the door softly.

Kyoko sighed and figured she should just get it over with. She called the local doctor's office to make an appointment.

"Hello, this is the Tokyo Medical Clinic. How can I help you?" a lady receptionist politely asked.

"Ummm... hi," she started nervously. She had never made a doctor's appointment before. "I'm calling to make an appointment."

"Is there a specific doctor you had in mind?"

"Ummmm, any doctor will do."

"Well, we are pretty booked this morning. It seems like a lot of people are getting colds as of recent. The earliest I can get is for three with Dr. Hitoshi. Does that work with you?"

"Sure! Thank you!"

"No problem. Can I have a name and phone number, please?"

Kyoko gave the receptionist both her name and number and thanked her profusely. Shortly after she hung up, her phone began to ring again.

_Who...?_

"Hello?"

"Hello, Kyoko!" _Sawara-san!_

"Hi, Sawara-san! Is there a job you need me to do?"

"Not this time!"

_Why does he sound so excited?_ "What is it, then?"

"You got a job offer!" Sawara exclaimed happily. _A job offer?!_ "I can't wait to see your reaction when you hear the details! What time are you coming to LME?"

"Can't you just tell me over the phone?"

"This is your first job offer! And you want it over the phone?! No way! Plus, I need to see your face when you hear!"

She laughed a little. "I'll head over right away..." Her joy faded as she remembered her promises to Ren. "Umm... Actually... I can't come to work today," she solemnly replied.

"Ehhh? Why not?" he questioned.

"Umm... Well, the reason's not important." Her remembrance of the promises morphed into her trying to think of loopholes to find out the job. "But you could come meet me somewhere outside of LME. Anywhere but LME is fine."

"Are you avoiding someone at work?" He could name several people off the top of his head that she might have gotten into a disagreement with.

"Well... I guess you could say that...," she trailed off.

Though he was curious, he guessed it was probably best to ignore it. "Alright, where and when did you have in mind?"

She thought of her recent episodes of sickness and her appointment. Food wasn't an option, clearly.

"I could meet you anywhere really," she said, "as long as it isn't too close to LME. Oh, I'm busy around three, but I'm free pretty much any other time."

"How about you stop by my house after I'm done with work around six. After all, you seem to know where it is from the time you stalked me."

Kyoko flushed with embarrassment; she remembered those days all too well. "I needed to get into show business! I stopped stalking you after I got in!"

"Haha... I suppose you did. I can't believe it's already been two months since then. My house it is then. See you at six!"

_Two months..._ she repeated in her head. Had it really been two months? So much had happened that she had begun to lose track of time. In her mind, she relived all the events that had lead up to this point in time: moving to Tokyo with Shou, living with him in a blissful trance for short time, working her butt off just to have money for the expensive apartment only to come home to a commonly empty apartment, blindly loving him, being cast aside, getting into LME as a member of the LoveMe section, doing odd jobs, Kurara, and now a job offer. So many new friends and people dear to her. _It just doesn't seem real..._ As she was reminiscencing, she fell into a hazy sleep.

* * *

She awoke several hours later feeling groggy. _When did I...?_ She pulled out her phone and glanced at the time. _How is it already 2:40?!_ she screamed in horror in her mind. _I never used sleep like this before! What's wrong with me?!_

She ran to the nearest bike-riding pedestrian and "kindly" asked to "borrow" his bike.

Biking full-speed ahead, she reached the clinic with five minutes to spare. She stumbled up to the front desk and gasped, "D-D... Doctor... Hitoshi... for a three... o' clock... appointment."

The receptionist was a bit startled by the ragged individual before her. "N-name?"

"Mogami, Kyoko," she managed.

"Just take a seat in the waiting area. They will call you in in a few minutes."

Kyoko nodded before collapsing into a chair.

"Kyoko Mogami," a nurse said almost immediately. Kyoko slowly got up and followed the nurse who lead her to a room halfway down the hall. "Doctor Hitoshi will be here momentarily," the nurse stated. Kyoko nodded as the nurse quietly shut the door. She twiddled her thumbs nervously. _When was the last time I saw a doctor?_ She had stopped caring about her health when the bills became too much. Even if she had needed a checkup, she wouldn't have gotten one.

"Hello, Miss Mogami," a tall black-haired man in a doctor's coat holding a clipboard greeted. "What seems to be the trouble?"

"Well," she shyly began, "I've been throwing up for a few days now."

Dr. Hitoshi made a few notes on his clipboard. "Anything else?"

"I've been falling asleep a lot more easily too," she confessed.

"Mhmmm...," he hummed.

"But the weird thing is after I throw up, I feel pretty okay for the rest of the day."

"Hmm... Okay, I'd say that gives me something to work with. Mind if I ask you a few personal questions?"

"Sure, not at all!" she replied; her nerves were finally calming.

"Are you currently seeing anyone?" he asked.

"Huh?" _What does this have to do with anything?_

"Are you dating anyone?" he repeated.

"No!"

"Have you dated in the past three or so months?"

Kyoko's mind reeled back to three months ago; she was living a life of lies. Deception. Deceit. Used. Revenge. Her mind could only form a select few words. "I can't say I have," she growled.

"Hmmm..." he muttered. "Then I assume you haven't had sex in that time frame, correct?"

She froze. How was she supposed to answer that? "Uhhh... No." She had intended to forget about all she had done with Shou. If she didn't confess, it never happened.

Suspecting a lie, the doctor continued with his train of questions. "Kyoko, when was your last period?"

She mentally counted down the days. "I'm not really sure," she confessed. "I can't remember."

The doctor sighed. "Kyoko, is there a possibility you could be pregnant?"

"Huh?" She heard the word, but her brain was doing its best to block it out.

"Your symptoms seem to match up. If my hunch is right, I'd say you are about three months along."

Her mouth hung slack as tears began to pool in the corners of her eyes. "No... NO!" she sobbed. "I-I can't be..."

The worried doctor tried to lighten the mood, "It's not confirmed yet. There might be another reason for these symptoms," he reassured.

Kyoko wasn't stupid. After hearing his diagnosis, her mind quickly put two and two together. She was most likely pregnant. By a guy who had used her and thrown her aside as if she was worthless. She didn't have the strength to respond.

"Would you prefer a blood test or a home pregnancy test?"

The thought of her blood being drawn scared her, so she meekly asked for a home test. Dr. Hitoshi lead her to the bathroom and explained how to use it.

After using it, she rinsed her hands in the sink. She looked at the image reflected in the mirror: horrified, devastated, and empty. She was merely a shell of who she had been earlier. A ghost just going through the motions of a past life.

She painstakingly made the walk back to the room. A nervously smiling Dr. Hitoshi asked, "How'd it go?"

"I-I don't know... I'm too afraid to look." She clutched the test in her hand. In her heart she already knew the result. Seeing proof would deny her the opportunity to pretend the inevitable was just a nightmare. She slowly reached out her hand and gave the test to the doctor.

He frowned anxiously. He glanced down at the little white stick, and his brow furrowed. "I'm so sorry..."

* * *

Sorry about my lack of knowledge on the medical system in Japan, let alone the medical system in general, but I'm too lazy to do a lot of research. I'm pretty busy with school and sports, so I barely have enough time to even write. Thanks for reading; I really hope you enjoyed it!


	4. Chapter 4

Hello! You have no idea how great I feel that people like this :) Thanks so much!

Does anyone else have exams coming up? T-T I'm so stressed right now even though my grades are fine; something about the whole test taking process makes me anxious. You guys are lucky that it's Memorial Day weekend, or I wouldn't have had time to update!

Oh, and thank you, guest reviewer, who gave me some information on the medical system. I'm sorry I'm kinda too lazy to apply it 100%

* * *

**Chapter 4**

"I'm so sorry...," the doctor's voice fell. Kyoko's heart stopped for an instant. The tears spilled down her face.

She sat on the examination table without a word. Her body went into a state of shock. She huddled in the fetal position and stared blankly at the wall.

Dr. Hitoshi awkwardly prescribed some prenatal vitamins while Kyoko just sat there, her form appearing to grow weaker with each passing second.

"If you are planning to keep it, I can refer you to the obstetrics wing. There are many skilled obstetricians in this clinic," he said, trying to make conversation despite the gloomy atmosphere.

Kyoko remained pale as a ghost and without a reply.

He took her hand and helped her stand. "Would you like the ultrasound today? You can schedule a more convenient time if you are busy," he suggested.

She nodded her head 'no' slowly. "T-t-that's okay... I think I need some more time to absorb t-this... T-thank you for t-time," she sputtered out, her voice cracking more than once. The doctor looked at her concernedly as she bowed in gratitude.

She walked out of the room and to the front desk where she paid for the appointment. The once startled receptionist saw the tears in Kyoko's eyes and looked at her sympathetically. She wondered why the once rambunctious teen had suddenly transformed into the very personification of sorrow. She gave Kyoko a slight smile to try to lift her spirits, but Kyoko remained downcast and walked out of the building, her head hanging.

_Where can I go now? _she wondered. It felt as if the world was crashing down on her as she stood in front of the clinic. _What am I going to do?_ Her tears earned the stares of several onlookers. She tried her best to control them, but she was too frustrated. _Some actress I am..._ She pulled out her phone to glance at the time. _In two hours I'm supposed to meet with Sawara-san... How would he feel if I canceled_? She wiped the tears from her face and dialed his number.

"Hello? Kyoko?"

"Hi, Sawara-san!" She did her best to sound cheerful.

"What is it? Curious about your job offer still?"

"Yes, but I just wanted to say that six tonight won't work anymore."

"Ehhh? Why not?"

"Something... Came up..."

"Ahhh I see. Will seven tonight work?"

"That didn't make much of a difference," Kyoko answered, somewhat annoyed. She had already mentally planned an evening of tears and self-pity.

"I know, but we don't have any more time to accept the job offer. Shooting is in two days! There's got to be some time you could just look at the details!" he insisted.

"Are you saying that if I don't accept this by tonight, the job offer will be void?"

"Bingo. Which means that unless whatever you are suddenly doing is more important than accepting a job that could launch your professional career, you shouldn't cancel."

_Stop wallowing in self-pity!_ one of her demons accused.

_Take this job! If you want to crush Shou, this is your chance!_ another encouraged.

_You can get back at him for all he's done! Do it for the baby!_! one yelled.

_The baby..._ she thought. She glanced down at her abdomen. _My baby. Shou's baby... He deserves to die a hundred deaths for all he's done! I can't let this destroy my career! No matter what happens, I'll still take him down!_

Empowered by her demons, she fiercely exclaimed, "I'll do it. No matter what the job is, I'll take it."

"Huh?" Sawara interjected, confused. "You're going to take a job offer without knowing the details?"

"Just accept the offer for me. You can explain the details tomorrow."

"Okay..." Sawara was perplexed by her sudden change in mood. "Just believe me when I tell you that you will love this job!"

"I do!" A few tears slipped down the side of her face; she could feel her facade slowly falling apart. She had to end this quickly. "Thank you so much!"

"Alright, I'll give you the details tomorrow," he said.

"Bye!" she squeaked an octave higher than normal, mustering all the fake happiness she could in that single word.

"Huh? Are you okay-" *click* She hung up before he could hear her crack even more.

She broke down then and there in wracking sobs. She didn't care about the stares of others. She just stood there and wept, consumed in regret.

* * *

Ren slowly opened the door to his apartment, hoping to find Kyoko either curled up on the couch or asleep in a bed. He was fairly disappointed to find his apartment empty. _I guess that was just wishful thinking..._ He spotted the money he had left on the counter. _She didn't go to see a doctor?_ He then noticed a note scrawled out on a small scrap of paper:

"Tsuruga-san,  
Thank you very much for helping me. The doctor said it was just the stomach flu. I'll be back to work in no time. I'm sorry if I made you worry.  
Kyoko"

He smiled wistfully at the note. He was happy she wasn't sick with something serious but a bit upset that she hadn't stayed. _I wonder if she got home alright... Maybe I should call her._ He took his phone out of his pocket and called.

"H-Hello? Tsuruga-san?" a weak voice answered.

"Hello, Kyoko. I got your note and the money you didn't use," he awkwardly responded.

"Ya... I couldn't accept your money for my problems... I still went though- I had some money. As you probably know, everything is fine," she whispered faintly into the phone.

He sighed. "Did you know that it's okay for you to accept people's generosity? You don't have to do everything on your own. I want- no, not just me- so many people just want to help you out. Next time, just know I'm more than happy to help."

"Thank you, Tsuruga-san. I'll remember that next time," she replied. Ren sensed a trace of sorrow in her voice, but he brushed it off. _What reason would she have to be sad anyway? I must be imagining things, _Ren assured himself. "Did you call just to tell me that?" Kyoko asked, trying to keep the conversation moving. If the call carried on for too long, she was worried her emotions would get the better of her like they nearly did on her previous call.

"No, I just wanted to know if you got home alright."

"Mhmm... I'm there right now actually. You're probably pretty busy so... goodbye." She tried to end the call quickly. She knew that she would erupt in a frenzy of sobs any moment now. Just thinking about the events of the day made her want to break down.

Even over the phone, Ren could clearly distinguish her saddened tone from her normal one this time. There was no way he was imagining it this time. "Wait! Is everything alright?"

She shuddered and wrapped one arm around her still-flat stomach. "I-I'm fine, just feeling kinda tired. B-because of the flu, of course."

"Okay... I guess I should let you go then," he sadly suggested. Truthfully, he wanted to talk to her longer to find out what was wrong. Her cheerful voice always brought him happiness and comfort, but when she was sad, he could feel his heart slowly breaking. However, he knew that if a woman didn't want to speak, one shouldn't push her. "Whatever is bothering you, I promise to help you. If you ever feel like telling me, I'll be here for you... Well, good night. Feel better."

"Good night." She abruptly hung up, silent tears gliding down her face.

_I wonder what's bothering her..._ _Did something bad happen to her today? __I have to leave to go film on location tomorrow, so I won't be able to find out why she's upset. __Should I call her again?_ He hesitantly raised his phone. _No, that probably isn't a good idea, not right away, anyway. Perhaps I should call tomorrow... Why am I so paranoid about this? Why am I acting like this towards her? I feel like I need to be there for her and protect her. I guess now that I know her acting isn't solely for revenge, I've grown to like her more. Maybe if she never meets with Shou again, she can finally lead a peaceful life. _He smiled at the thought. _For her sake, I hope their paths never cross, and she never has to meet with him again._ _The time she spent with him is all in the past, and it never has to repeat itself again.__  
_

But Ren couldn't have been more wrong.

* * *

Sorry this was a more serious chapter! I hoped you liked it.

I know everyone was pretty OOC, but they kind of had to be for this chapter. Sorry again.

The next update won't be for a little while because I have finals, and then I have to take entrance exams for a school that I'm transferring to. Yay... moving... Always so much fun...


	5. Chapter 5

Hi! I bet you're surprised that I updated so fast, especially when I have exams. Well, when I don't want to study, I procrastinate by writing apparently.

Is it weird that I didn't remember the Darumaya couple's names? Sigh... Too much cramming... Brain... you fail me yet again...

I'm changing my use of italics, so don't be confused- I'm gonna go back and change the other chapter later: flashbacks are not in italics.

Thank you!

* * *

**Chapter 5**

**Flashback**

"Kyoko! Where have you been?" the woman from Darumaya asked as Kyoko entered the restaurant. She noticed the tear stains on her shirt and the red blotches that covered her face. "What's wrong?" She rushed over to Kyoko.

"I'm sorry," Kyoko whispered. "I stayed at a friend's... I think I just need some time alone, that's all." She looked at her feet, unwilling to meet Okami-san's eyes.

Suddenly, a pair of loving arms enveloped her. "It's okay," she coaxed, "you don't have to tell me what happened if you don't want. You've had a rough day, I take it. Let's run you a nice warm bath while we make you dinner." She wrapped her arm around Kyoko's shoulders and led her to the bathroom. Kyoko remained motionless as a doll as Okami-san filled the tub with hot water. Once the tub was filled, Okami excused herself and left Kyoko alone.

Kyoko slowly undressed and lowered herself into the water. The tears had subsided long ago, and the only evidence that she had been crying was the blotchy face and lingering hiccups. The soothing water eventually calmed her to the point of being able to thing straight. _Should I tell anyone about the baby? Okami-san and Taishou-san? Moko-san? Yashiro and Tsuruga-san?_ The list in her mind contained nearly everyone she knew except for the person who had helped bring this little life into existence. Finally, after much thinking, she thought, _Shou? Does he deserve to know? Would he even care if he knew? Probably not... That idiot would deny everything and accuse me of lying... Stupid heartless bastard! It was his carelessness that did this to me!_ Her eyes flared with hatred as her demons seeped out. _I swear, one day I'll strangle you!_ She grabbed at the air in a strangling motion and imagined a day where she would be above him in the entertainment world. Her demons left as quickly as they had appeared, and she relaxed in the tub.

A thought suddenly crossed her mind. _Does the baby feel this?_ she wondered. _Can it feel anything? Can it tell when I'm angry?_ She began speaking aloud, "Hi, little baby. I'm sorry," she cooed. "Mommy's just a little stressed. I promise you that I'll be a much better mother to you than my mother was to me. I'll always protect you. I love you. Your stupid father might not, but I'll always be there for you."

Kyoko found it impossible to hate the child. It was blameless and innocent. It was she who was the epitome of stupidity; she had given into Shou, and now she was paying the price. Her hatred rested on herself and Shou, and her tears came from the fear of the future: What would others say about her? How would she provide for the child? How would she not give up her dream of beating Shou down? _We'll make it by. Somehow..._ she thought as she toweled off.

* * *

Ookami-san hummed as she brought a tray with food to Kyoko's room. _I wonder what's bothering her._

"... just a little stressed... much better mother... I love you... stupid father... for you..." From Kyoko's room, she heard tidbits of Kyoko's conversation.

_What...? Is she talking about her parents? Maybe she saw her parents somewhere...? Was her mother nicer than she used to be? Did she even ever have her father around when she was little? Maybe her mom got remarried. Must've been a traumatic experience to make her cry like that..._

She heard the tub draining and quickly made her way back to the kitchen.

* * *

**Present**

Kyoko woke from a groggy sleep. Her fear, anxiety, and stress had led her into a night of tears. Even though she undoubtedly loved the child, she couldn't help but feel sorry for herself. She sat up shakily and felt the urgent need to vomit. She sprinted to the bathroom and emptied her already empty stomach, acid burning her throat. After brushing her teeth, she figured it was time to get ready.

Taishou had already prepared breakfast for her, and Okami-san smiled at Kyoko as she made her way to the table.

"Okami-san... Taishou-san... What's all this for?" she humbly asked.

"You seemed so sad yesterday, and we just wanted to cheer you up a bit," Okami said and her husband nodded.

"T-thank you very much! I'm feeling much better now, though, so you don't have to worry."

They both raised an eyebrow at that. "Uh-huh... Well if you see your parents again, just call us an we'll give then a piece of our minds!" Okami exclaimed.

"Huh?" Kyoko was extremely puzzled.

"Weren't you sad about your parents?" Okami questioned.

"Why would you think that?"

"I heard you talking to yourself while you were taking a bath," she confessed.

"You said she told you," Taishou interrupted. "You didn't mention you were eavesdropping!" He laughed quietly.

Okami ignored her husband and continued, "If not your parents, what were you sad about?"

"Ahh..." She gently moved her folded hands up a few inches so that they hovered over her stomach. She brushed her fingertips over it. "Nothing really. Something made me sad yesterday, but I'm fine now."

Taishou gave a puzzled look as Okami glanced at the small movement of her hands.

"Thank you very much for the meal!" she exuberantly thanked. All the food had vanished. Taishou and Okami stared at the empty dishes, wondering when she had eaten all the food. "Goodbye! See you later!" Kyoko ran out the door, determined and ready to take on the day.

"Did you catch that?" Okami asked her husband.

"Huh? What was I supposed to catch?" he asked.

"Her hands..."

"What about them?"

She sighed. "You really are oblivious..."

"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"

"Nothing... nothing... I'll tell you once I confirm something later..."

Taishou remained confused, but decided to leave it at that.

* * *

Kyoko arrived at LME a short time later. She took a step into LME and panicked. She remembered she told Ren she had the stomach flu, which meant she shouldn't be back at work until at least tomorrow. She had to go into incognito mode. Mission: Avoid Ren at all costs.

She slid through LME, her back touching the wall, hiding behind all the plants, benches, people, and random items as possible. She sneakily made her way to Sawara's office. He was working on his computer when he noticed a pair of golden eyes staring up at him.

He jumped backwards in surprise, knocking over his chair. "M-Mogami-san! Good to see you!" She shushed him, worried that Ren would hear her name. He continued more quietly, "Here for the job details, right?" She nodded her head. "Queen Records called and wants you to be in a PV!"

"A PV? Who's it for?"

"Ahhh, this is the best part. I would've told you over the phone, but I just had to see your face: Queen Records saw you in the commercial and wanted to use you. It's Shou Fuwa's PV for his song 'Prisoner.'" Sawara-san said with a glowing smile. His smile disappeared when he noticed Kyoko wasn't smiling.

Her face was a mirror of the devil himself. "Sorry. I'm not sure I heard you correctly. Could you please repeat it for me?" she growled with upmost fury.

Sawara recoiled in fear. "Uh... Um... Well... They thought you would be good for... Shou's PV... He's really popular, so it would help boost your popularity quite a bit..."

"Cancel it."

"Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhh? Why?"

"Cancel it before I hurt you." She gave him a death glare.

His eyes filled with fear as he backed away from her. "B-but that wouldn't be good for either your or LME's reputations!" he convinced.

"I. Don't. Care."

"What?! Aren't you a huge fan of his? You would get to act alongside him! You could meet him, talk to him, get an autograph... Plus, this could send your career skyrocketing!"

"..." She sat there and allowed her anger to intimidate him.

"Uhhh... Your friend Kotonami also got a job offer!" he tried to change the subject.

Kyoko's anger faded as she lost herself in joy for her friend. "Really? That's so great! Go Moko-san!"

"It's in a short drama, but it will undoubtedly bring her many more job offers! Don't you want to get more job offers too? If you do this job, surely you will get tons of job offers! Use this job offer to launch your career! This is a stepping stone to fame! (Aside: Plus, I don't really have the guts to cancel after Kotonami already rejected the PV...)"

Kyoko's mind wrapped around several select words: _Use... use him like he used me... Stepping stone... step on him like he stepped on me..._

"I'LL DO IT! NO MATTER WHAT, I'LL DO THIS JOB!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, completely forgetting that she was hiding from Ren.

_Such a change in attitude... I guess she really is a die-hard Shou fan, _Sawara noted. "O-okay," he said, a little scared of her sudden outburst. "You will need to be at Queen Records at about ten in the morning. I'll call if something happens to come up. Good luck!"

"Thank you. Now, would you happen to know where Tsuruga-san is?" she asked, looking around.

"Ren? He left this morning to go film on location somewhere. He should be back in a week. Why? -need him for something?" Sawara wondered.

Kyoko collapsed on the floor, exhausted yet relieved. She had been hiding from someone who wasn't even in the same city as her. "No reason in particular..."

* * *

Thanks again for reading!  
Okay- I'm having a little trouble figuring out a name for the baby. If you want to help, feel free to post name/s in a review. Gender is up to you. Thanks!


	6. Chapter 6

Hello! I'm back! Exams were terrible, if anyone cared T-T Placement tests weren't any better haha... Ohhhhhhhh well

Thank you so much for reading/favoriting/following/etc.! I promise I'll get the chapters out more quickly now that school's out. Oh, thanks a ton to the reviewers! You always motivate me so much, even if it's about something I did wrong :) Those ones motivate me to try harder. Ugh, I'm so weird.

I'm so happy! It's finally summer! To anyone still in school, I'm sorry you have to endure such torture.

* * *

"Kyoko, is there something you're not telling us?" Okami asked when she saw Kyoko later that evening. Kyoko froze. _They couldn't know... Could they?_

She turned to Taishou and Okami and blatantly lied, "I don't know what you mean."

Okami crossed her arms in disbelief. "Really? Well I think I do. Unlike my oblivious husband here..."

"Hey!" Taishou interrupted.

"... I happen to have a mother's instinct."

A shiver rippled throughout Kyoko's panicked body. "So... you know then..."

Okami nodded. Taishou remained as confused as ever.

A powerful surge of emotions came over Kyoko as the tears which she had fended off threatened to make a reappearance. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you myself. I swear I would have... I guess I just needed some more time." Okami sensed her remorse and enveloped Kyoko in a hug assuredly.

"Everything's going to work out all right. Don't you worry. No matter what happens, we will never abandon you. We will always give you a place to come home to and support for all your decisions, whatever they may be," she soothingly replied. Kyoko's arms encircled Okami, desperately clinging onto the only person who had offered her comfort so far.

"Thank you... Thank you so much," she gasped. "I think... No... I know that I want to keep it. It was my stupid choice that resulted in this... This is the least I can do really..."

"Are you positive? This will change your entire life."

"I know that. And yes, I'm sure. I'll do everything in my power to be a good mother to this baby."

"B-baby?!" Taishou paled. "But that would mean... You...?" As a father would to a daughter who had just confessed she was pregnant, Taishou scolded and questioned Kyoko, but his disbelieving ramblings went on unheeded. They ignored him until they heard the thud of his head hitting the floor.

Okami rolled her eyes at him. "You're a very brave young lady, you know." She smiled reassuringly at Kyoko as they dragged an unconscious Taishou to his room.

* * *

The following morning, Kyoko realized she had forgotten to schedule another appointment, let alone an ultrasound. She promptly called the clinic and asked for an appointment at the obstetrics wing. Later that day, she walked into the clinic with her head held high.

The female ultrasound technician rubbed the ice cold gel onto Kyoko's stomach and probed a contraption over it. On the screen, the doctor pointed out a small mass. "That's your baby. Judging by the size, you are almost three weeks along." She looked at her clipboard. "From your previous appointment and the size, I'd say an approximate due date would be the 22nd of March, give or take a few days." Kyoko looked at the strange object in wonder. The physical image made everything about this baby seem so much more real.

She helped a dazed Kyoko wipe the gel from her stomach and allowed her to redress. "Congratulations," she smiled. "Now that that is confirmed, a nurse should be here shortly to perform your first prenatal exam. Have a good day. I'll see you again, this time next month." The technician left as Kyoko offered her thanks. Not long after, a young nurse entered the room.

"Congratulations!" she exuberantly exclaimed. "Ok, I'm going to need to take some measurements, take some blood, and have you fill out some forms, okay?" she told Kyoko. Kyoko recoiled at the thought of blood being drawn, but the nurse assured her, "It's just a routine examination and some simple questions, so don't worry. Blood being drawn doesn't hurt any more than a pinch at most." She looked at her doubtfully, but followed her as she took her weight, abdomen measurements, blood pressure, and several other measurements. Kyoko clenched her eyes shut as the blood was drawn, but she barely felt the needle enter her skin.

"Okay, we are almost done. Now there are just some questions we need answered." She handed her a clipboard with several papers and a pen. "You go ahead and fill these out while I go and get some paperwork filled out for you." The nurse closed the door softly and left with the blood and measurements.

Kyoko's gaze left the door and focused on the big, bolded letters on the first paper: "Family History."

There were two sections: "Mother" and "Father."

Kyoko sat in the room, her pen hovering above the paper as her mind experienced a whirlwind of thoughts. "Familial Diseases and/or Disorders" was the title of one section. _I... I can't even fill out my own section..._ she realized. Her heart fell as she tried to fill out other sections. She knew next to nothing about her own family history. She found it disturbing that she knew more about Shou's background than her own. _Shou... Damn you... I can't believe your parents were trying to marry me off to you... And now I know all this useless information because of it!_

After she had filled out as much information as possible, she moved on to the other forms.

Finally she reached the final form: "Emergency Contact Information." She filled out Taishou and Okami's information easily, but the form requested three. She contemplated who to put as the third for quite some time. _The only people who know are Okami-san and Taishou-san... Maybe I could tell Takarada-san...? No... That's probably a bad idea... Not yet anyway... Tsuruga-san doesn't need to know... Neither does Yashiro-san... Nor does Sawara-san... Maybe Shou... should go to hell..._ her face grew red with anger. She pressed so hard on the paper that she tore a hole through it and nearly cracked the clipboard. _How about... Moko-san...?_ Her grip on the pen loosened greatly._ That's it! Moko would understand! Mo~ko!_ Kyoko scribbled down Moko's information cheerfully.

The nurse reentered and noticed the glow that Kyoko emulated. "Well, I take it you had an enjoyable time with that." Kyoko nodded with a smile brighter than the sun as she handed the nurse the papers. The nurse flipped through them and nodded. "Okay, you're all set. That's all we need today. Congratulations again! Don't forget to make another appointment before you leave."

However, Kyoko was in such a trance, she didn't hear the nurse's reminder, and she left without making an appointment.

* * *

Kyoko awoke the following morning bright and early, despite the fact that she had been up past midnight debating what she should wear. She was ready in less than an hour and left at nine-thirty. She arrived just before ten as Sawara had suggested.

With her demons emitting from her, she marched up to the front desk. The fearful receptionists cowered in her presence. "Good morning," she frightfully said. It seemed less of a greeting than of a threat. "My name is Kyoko... I'm from LME, and I've come to be in Shou's PV..."

Her demons and aura petrified the two women at the front desk, rendering them only able to point in the direction that Kyoko needed to go.

"Thank you very much," Kyoko purred with a devilish grin on her face. She made her way to the specified room and sat down at the empty table.

Her thoughts drifted to the pain she longed to inflict on Shou._ When I get my hands on him... No, if I attack him, then he'll recognize me for sure... But if I could just get one solid punch in, I'm sure I'd have enough gratification to last a year... No, I need to get at him through showbiz... that way I can stand on equal footing as he is... But if he's right in front of me, he'd never even see it coming!_ Her thoughts continued in the pattern of wanting to hurt/get revenge on Shou then discouraging herself against it, which was almost always followed by an attempt at justification of the initial action.

_Okay, I have to postpone the violence until AFTER I use him... so he definitely can't recognize me just yet. And there is no way that he can know about the baby. Maybe ever. It's not like he deserves it anyway. So in order for me to get revenge on him... I'll have to act the part. I'll have to hide all thoughts of attacking him for the time being._ In the midst of her mental battle, she continually glanced at the clock. Eventually, an entire hour had passed.

"How is he so late?!" she yelled aloud. "How long are they going to keep me waiting?! If I was supposed to come at 10:30, then I assumed we would start by 10:30! I even got here early like Sawara-san said!" Her fist slammed down on the table with equal force to how she wanted to slug Shou in the face. "It's definitely him! That annoying bastard slept in, I know it! And his irresponsible manager probably just let him sleep in too!" She looked at the clock again. "That's it! I've had it! If they won't wake him up, I'll choke him awake if that's what it takes!"

She pushed her chair out from under the table, subsequently knocking it to the ground in the process. She gripped the doorknob with aggravation, only to have her rage turn to confusion when the door began to open. She gasped as she looked up, her eyes meeting those of the very person she wished she could destroy.

* * *

Sorry for such a manga-esque ending, but I had writers' block :( Not fun.

Thanks for making it to the end of the chapter! Look for another one soon!


	7. Chapter 7

Hi! Sorry this chapter is mostly based off the manga :P it's not like I could just skip random parts. Enjoy!

* * *

_Kyoko, smile!_

_C'mon! If you don't smile this plan falls apart!_

_Say 'cheeeeeese!'_

Kyoko's demons tugged on her facial muscles until she finally managed a smile.

_Way to go! Now sell it!_

"Hi! Oh my, I just can't believe it's you! Isn't it funny how you were right outside this door and I was about to go outside? Haha, what a coincidence. You have no idea how excited I am for this job! I promise I'll work my hardest! It's very nice to meet you!" she happily ranted, extending a hand. Shou stared at the hand as if it was an alien.

_Is this... Kyoko? No way... There's no way she'd be this flamboyant..._ Shou realized_. _She caught onto his wide-eyed confusion and nearly laughed.

"What's wrong? Do you not like handshakes? Are you one of those clean-freaks who's afraid of germs?"

_What the...? _"No... That's not it..."

"Then shake!" she pouted. He slowly reached out his hand, suspicious. She "gladly" accepted his had and shook it with extreme ferocity. "My name is Kyoko! Pleased to meet you!"

"Pleased... to meet you too...," he slowly replied. "Sorry, I guess the receptionists pointed you to the wrong room."

"The wrong room?! How could they do that to me?! It's not like it's that hard to point me in the right direction! I'm sorry I made you wait. I was here at ten though so it wasn't really my fault."

"Ummm... Don't worry about it... We are still waiting on a few people."

"Really?! That's so frustrating! People should show up on time!" Kyoko opened her eyes wide and batted her eyelashes. "Did you come to find me?!" she beamed.

"Ahh... Yeah, you could say that..." _What's up with that expression? I was going to come to try to expose you... But... Kyoko would never be this obnoxious... _His thoughts were interrupted by an abrupt slap on the back.

"Aaaaaahh! I'm so happy!" It was killing her to keep all her disgust bottled up inside. Just touching his back nearly triggered her morning sickness. She frolicked ahead, unable to stand walking next to him any longer.

After several skips, she noticed an unfamiliar woman walking toward her and Shou. She turned to them, saying, "Ah! There you are!"

"Ah, Asami-san. What's the matter?" Shou called out.

"You took so long that I came to look for you," she answered. She looked Kyoko up and down before saying, "Ahh, you must be Kyoko! Sorry about the wait. I'm the director of the video."

Kyoko scanned Asami confusedly. _A woman?! And such a well-built one at that! Long legs... Huge bust... Is this the type of people he always works with? No wonder he hardly ever talked about work..._

Shou walked past her and up to Asami. He nonchalantly slipped an arm around her waist and nuzzled his face against hers. "Let's go ~Asami," he purred. "I'm tired of hanging around this... thing."

She growled. _Well ex-cusssse me! That THING happens to be carrying your baby, damn you, you ungrateful bastard! And what the heck happened to your manager? Are you having an affair with both of them?! How many women do you have?! I always knew you were a playboy... but really?_

The two walked in front of Kyoko now, in a rather third-wheel formation. Her aura emulated from every inch of her body. _You disgusting monster... sleaze... playboy... Just die already!_

"Shou~chan! Where'd you go for so long? I was so lonely!" cried a familiar-sounding voice. Kyoko's head snapped in the direction of the sound. The possessive eyes of Mimori met Kyoko's widened eyes. She flew past Kyoko and immediately latched onto Shou. _Mimori?! She's one of Shou's girls too?!_

"M-Mimori?! Oh my gosh! MIMORI! Hi, I'm Kyoko!" she greeted with fake renewed enthusiasm.

"What are you doing, Mo- EEEEEK!" She tried to question her motives, but was alarmed when Kyoko suddenly tackled her to make sure Mimori didn't reveal any crucial information.

_No way... And I thought that she could be Kyoko? _One hand went up to rub his head. _I_ _must be losing my mind._ He was forcefully ripped from his thoughts as Mimori grabbed him.

"Oh, I get it! You're acting all friendly to get the better part in the PV! Well, it doesn't matter what you do! I'm gonna play the angel who is in love with Shou! You won't take it away from me."

Kyoko blinked. "Go ahead. See how much I care- Oh wait. I don't. But how angels relate at all right now?"

Asami gladly explained, "The PV is about the devil and two angels. The devil and an angel fall in love at first sight, but the other angel believes her friend's life to be in danger. So she takes it upon herself to kill the devil. It's a beautiful, tragic love story, really." She barely had time to breathe before Kyoko's hand shot up. "Uhh... Yes?"

"Let me play that role. I want to kill the devil."

"R-really? You want that role? Well, if you insist," she said.

"Oh I do..." Kyoko glared menacingly at Shou. "I do..."

* * *

**Later, at Lunch**

"Sorry that it's just lunch boxes," Asami apologized, "but due to the schedule, we were limited on time."

"It's perfectly fine," Kyoko politely replied.

"Shou~ I made this bento especially for you! I worked all morning on it! Please eat a lot!" Mimori exclaimed. Kyoko saw a mirror of her formal self.

_I really used to be so much like her... Is it only a matter of time before she's thrown aside like I was? Poor girl..._

Shou accepted the lunch box with hardly any feeling of gratitude. As he began to eat, Kyoko noticed his features contort before looking to either side of him. _That egg roll... It's sweet! And he wants to throw it away! You can't just throw a girls hard work away, you coldhearted jerk!_ Without thinking, she flicked a packet of salt his way. The combination of the knowing look he gave her and the aroma of all the food made her nauseous.

"Excuse me," she said before walking to the door.

"Me too," Shou excused himself, but Mimori hugged his arm.

"Why do you care about that weird girl! Stop looking at her like that!" Mimori pouted.

"I have no clue what you're talking about," he gave as an answer and pushed her arms away. He exited the room, but Kyoko was nowhere in sight. _Huh? Where'd she go?_ He went in the direction of the bathrooms. As he walked by, he heard a fit of retching and gagging. _Is that her?_ He positioned himself against the wall opposite the bathroom. The sound of a running faucet alerted him that she would soon come out. Instead of her immediate emergence, though, her heavy breathing invaded his hearing. _What's wrong with her? _He nearly walked into the women's restroom to check on her, but Kyoko exited a moment later.

Shock reverberated through her body, but she quickly hid it with her acting ability. "What's the matter? Feeling feminine today?" she teased, referring to his near entrance of the wrong bathroom.

"I should be asking you 'what's the matter?' -Does it make you feel nauseated to see my face, Mogami-san?" he confidently replied.

Kyoko shivered. He had seen through her false personality. It was all over. "Don't flatter yourself, Shoutaro," she took a jab at his cool image. He winced. She was one of the few people who knew that name. "Most people contemplate suicide at the sight of you." She rushed past him before he could reply. She hurried back to the room, hoping his pride had been crushed enough and that he wouldn't pursue her. He a almost ran after her, but he decided that there would be better opportunities to get back at her later.

* * *

"Uhh... What are you doing?" a puzzled Mimori questioned the girl sitting on the floor in front of her.

"You're just so pretty! I can't wait until I get a makeover!" Kyoko had gone to watch Mimori get into makeup to take her mind off her recent encounter with Shou.

"You'll never be pretty enough to win Shou's heart, even with the best makeover in the world!" Mimori retorted.

"I know," Kyoko replied gently despite the insult. "Besides, you're more his type." _Devoted ditz with a big bust..._

"How's everything going in here?" a makeup artist asked. "Shou's done if anyone needs help." Shou took that as his cue to enter; he was clad in spikes, metal, and leather from head to toe. His red contacts, pointy ears, and silver hair made Kyoko's mind only able to think a single thing: _Fairy prince!_

As Mimori launched herself onto Shou, Kyoko admired the work they had done. Shou noticed her stare and chuckled as he walked up to her.

"You seem pretty captivated," Shou smirked._  
_

"What? No way! I just think they went a little overboard with the makeup," she lied.

"Is that so? I'm getting the impression that you have feelings for me," he whispered seductively.

"What the heck are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying... You're madly in love with the fairy-tale prince," he purred.

"NO! I mean- Are you feeling alright, Fuwa-chi?"

"Stop with the act, Kyoko. We both know each other better than that," he laughed. He leaned in and continued, "Why don't you just call me Shou~chan like you used to? You definitely didn't have a problem with it when you were underneath me in bed..."

*SLAP*

Kyoko had had enough. The last sentence was enough to make her crack. Shou's hand went instinctively to his reddening cheek. He looked at her in confusion before spotting one of the few things he was never able to stomach: Kyoko's tears. "...Don't... ever again... toy with a girl's innocence..." she stammered.

The makeup crew was desperately trying to ignore the violence while Mimori was tending to Shou's injury. "K-Kyoko... This way for makeup..." an assistant called.

She stormed off in the direction of the voice, desperately trying to restrain her tears


	8. Chapter 8

Hiya! Just a heads up if you don't read my other story: I'm going on vacation over the next two weeks, so maybe expect one chapter for each over that time period. Thanks! Enjoy!

* * *

"Ren? Ren...? REN!" Yashiro snapped. Ren's mind suddenly became alert. "Ren, what's troubling you?"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"It's not like you to be so unfocused and careless. Something's obviously on your mind."

"Nah... Not really," Ren sighed.

"Hmm... This wouldn't have to do with Kyoko, would it?" Yashiro guessed. A slight change in Ren's facial expression told him he was right.

"Dammit... Am I am open book to you, or something?"

"I'm only your manager and see you nearly every day... I'd say we've learned quite a bit about each other."

"I guess I can't hide anything from you, can I? Well you're right... It's about Kyoko. I think something's wrong with her, and it's not just that she was sick. The other day, I called we and she sounded so distraught..."

"You called her?!" Yashiro interrupted excitedly like a teenage girl. "Was it for the romantic date you plan on taking her on," he teased.

"It was just to check up on her..."

"But you WISH that that would have been the reason for the call?" Yashiro hoped.

"Though I'm not in opposition to that... she's not interested..."

Yashiro exploded into fangirl-esque happiness.

"Anyway... The other day on the phone she seemed so depressed... I'm just worried about her," Ren conveyed.

"How cute," Yashiro fawned over Ren.

"Thanks for all your help...," Ren said. The manager had forgotten the point of his first question and lost himself to doting over Ren's love life.

* * *

"Are you sure you're okay, Shou-chan?" a concerned Mimori asked. "Mogami-san is just an idiot who doesn't even deserve your forgiveness."

"I'm fine...," he replied. The makeup artists had already hidden the small wound and had made themselves useful elsewhere, and shooting of Shou's and Mimori's scenes had begun. "It didn't even really hurt," he bragged. While Mimori showered him with affection, he was lost in thought. _Why...? I was just teasing her... It's not my fault she can't say "no."_ He nodded, attempting to reassure himself. _There's no way that slap was the revenge she planned... I suspect she plans to use the PV as a chance to get back at me. I'm pretty eager to see what she has in store for me..._ He chuckled.

He suddenly noticed that heads were turning around him and became aware of the sound of soft footsteps behind him. Reluctantly, he looked in that direction. His mouth nearly went out of its natural socket at the sight before him: a vision cloaked in white with beautiful, silky long hair. The dress hugged her body flatteringly, and she gave off a heavenly glow. Despite her angelic appearance, Kyoko gave Shou a maniacal glare. Ice-cold eyes embedded in a celestial maiden. Shou couldn't help but stare at her as she entered looking like a beam of sunlight in the darkness. He was so enticed that he didn't notice as she paraded up to his face and kneed him in the groin.

He fell to the ground in anguish. All around him eyed him with pity but were too afraid to move. "**WHAT. THE. HELL?!**" he screamed at Kyoko.

"Oh, did that hurt? My bad- you see, I've had this problem with judging the amount of pain others feel ever since my heart was cruelly ripped into a thousand pieces," she accused, years of Kyoko's self-sacrifice coming back to Shou in the form of memories. "But I assure you, that pain was nothing compared to what I've gone through."

Shou barely had the strength to look up at her and say, "You aren't Kyoko. I understood Kyoko. The Kyoko I knew wouldn't dare..."

"Kick you?" she finished. "Well that would've been the case had you not killed her just over two months ago," she coldly stated. "I promise that you will feel the wrath I've bottled up over that time."

The crew once again desperately tried to ignore the violence and continue working. "We're starting shooting Kyoko and Mimori's scenes now, okay?" Asami called out. Everyone nodded, and Kyoko left Shou's side, smirking. Mimori, who had hidden behind the nearest crew member as soon as Kyoko had marched in, meekly found her way to the filming.

Shoko helped Shou up and began questioning. "Is that the same Kyoko that I met once before?"

"No. This Kyoko is a stranger to me," he looked to where they were filming, still enchanted by her beauty despite the pain she had inflicted.

Shoko stared at the girl in wonder. "It's amazing how beautiful she really is. I would've never guessed that she was the girl from that day..."

Shou found himself unable to look away from Kyoko. Her expression drew him in like a siren song, and he longed to follow her into the abyss of her acting ability.

"You're staring...," she noted. Shou's head spun 180 degrees away from her.

"No I wasn't," he denied. Shoko sighed. Shou thought, _Wow... Who would've thought... NO. She came here to get revenge on me! I won't fall into her trap!_!

* * *

Soon, the filming for Kyoko and Mimori's scenes was finished.

"Okay, now we are going to film the scene where the angel kills the devil. Kyoko, Shou- places!" Asami directed.

The two began making their separate ways to the filming site.

Mimori had begun trailing Kyoko like a lost puppy, desperate for answers. "What was your and Shou-chan's relationship before? Did you date in the past?" she interrogated.

Kyoko's eyebrow twitched. "What gave you that idea?"

"Oh, just forget it!" Mimori sobbed.

Kyoko looked at the distraught girl and compassionately replied, "It's not what you're thinking, though. Our relationship wasn't very lovey-dovey like you seem to think it was... I might have loved him... but it was completely one-sided...," she trailed off. _And now I have a baby as a reminder of that... I guess you don't need love after all..._ She absent-mindedly placed a hand on her abdomen. "Just have more faith in yourself, Mimori. You're his type, and there's no way he would ever like me. I grew up with him, so I'd know." Kyoko smiled at a doubting Mimori.

Kyoko and Shou reached their destination, and Asami explained how the scene went. "Okay, can we try a practice really quickly?" The two nodded.

"Even though I'm still learning about acting, I'll put my heart and soul into this," Kyoko directed at Shou.

_She wants to use her acting talent to defeat me?! There's no way I'll get pulled in by you!_ Shou thought.

"Ready? ACTION!"

Kyoko firmly grasped his neck, unknowingly choking the life out of him.

"K-Kyoko! Stop!" Asami shouted. "I said to _lightly_ 'choke' him, not to kill him!" She took Kyoko, who had turned red in embarrassment and looked to the ground glumly, aside. "You have to turn evil only _after_ you kill the devil, not before!"

"I'm sorry... Can I try it again?" she politely asked. Asami nodded.

"Okay, from the top, once more. Places everyone!"

After two repeats of the practice, Asami's migraine prompted her to give Kyoko a break. "It's okay... You were doing so well earlier. You must be tired. Just rest for a little while we film some other scenes," she assured. Kyoko nodded gloomily, hating herself for her failure.

"'I'll put my heart and soul into this,'" mocked a familiar voice. Kyoko's stomach lurched. "Where was all that effort? I _implore_ you to try your best next time," he whispered into her ear, innerly cackling like a hyena. Kyoko pushed him away from her and proceeded to run in the opposite direction. He smirked before returning to filming.

Shoko glowered at Shou's actions before concernedly following Kyoko. Kyoko entered the nearest bathroom and Shoko silently inched her way inside. Kyoko painstakingly held back the long hair from the angel costume as she threw up again until Shoko decided to hold it for her. Kyoko trembled in fear as she felt foreign hands take hold of the wig but managed to smile softly at the familiar face before she was taken by fits of retching once again. She panted and slowly got up, flushing the toilet. Shoko backed up to let her pass and wash the disgusting taste from her mouth. "How many times must it make me lose my lunch... Shou always seems to trigger it, too...," she mumbled.

"What was that?" Shoko asked.

"Nothing... Just talking to myself..."

"Want me to tell them you aren't feeling well?" Shoko suggested.

"NO! -I'm sorry... I'm not sick... Don't worry about me," Kyoko responded, panicking.

"Does this happen often?" Shoko asked, thinking about how she had suddenly left during lunch.

Realizing the truth could give her secret away, she corrected, "NO!" _No... I was too over the top! She must know!_ Kyoko shivered. Shoko knowing meant it would only be a matter of time before Shou would find out. "Please, don't tell Shou about this!" she ended up saying.

"Why would I tell Shou about this?" a puzzled Shoko questioned.

"...No reason," Kyoko answered unconvincingly. _I'm too paranoid..._ "Thanks for helping me... I'm sorry about this... I'll do better the next take for sure." Shoko raised an eyebrow in suspicion before Kyoko smiled and walked past her out of the bathroom.

* * *

"If Kyoko is up to it, we are trying that scene again right now," Asami told Shou.

"I'm ready anytime," he responded, trying to sound cool. Inside, though, he was uncontrollably laughing. _It's just gonna be a repeat of earlier,_ he smugly thought.

"Remember, after she pushes you down, you have to close your eyes," she reminded.

"Ya, ya, I know."

They both spotted Kyoko as she glided back towards them.

"And here she is," Asami said. "Ready this time, Kyoko?" she called.

_Ren... Moko... Give me strength...,_ Kyoko thought with renewed vigor. Immediately after she left the restroom, she had left lengthy voicemails on each of their cell phones until Moko had finally called her back and gave her the key to overcoming this obstacle.

She walked toward them shrouded in a gloomy atmosphere, Moko's and her conversation replaying in her head: "How would you feel if I killed the person you loved to save your life?" Kyoko asked. Kanae took a moment to reply. "I'd probably hate you enough to hunt you down and kill you myself."

The haunting message was constantly echoing through her mind.

"Ready? ACTION!"

Kyoko's stepped softly toward Shou. He looked at her, startled. She latched her fingers softly around his neck. Shou's shocked expression remained as he fell, unable to tear his eyes away from Kyoko. His mind went back to the times as a child when she would cry about her mother as he stood nearby like a deer in the headlights, and he found himself unable to close his eyes. _Moko-san... I'm sorry... I had to... I'm just so glad everything will be okay now...,_ she thought as her facial expression twisted into one of someone on the brink of insanity. Everyone watched, mesmerized at the scene they had just witnessed.

Asami sighed, talking to the cameraman. "It's just too bad he didn't close his eyes... They looked too much like lovers for a moment there... I guess we have to do it again."

Kyoko remained in a trance even as Asami woefully explained that since Shou didn't close his eyes, they had to do a retake. "Kyoko?" Asami tried to get her attention.

"Ahh, I'm sorry," she apologized. "I guess I was in a daze. I was thinking about a friend who is very dear to me... If I was to lose her... If she was to hate me... NOOOOO!" Kyoko shook at the thought.

Asami tried to calm her down. "Kyoko! Don't worry! It's not reality!"

_So that's how she did it,_ Shou thought. He suddenly felt relieved. _And I thought she was remembering her mother..._ His mind snapped back alert. _Why am I so concerned?! I can't believe that after all these years, I still can't remain sane when she cries!_

"Okay, let's try this one more time," Asami urged.

They took their places for the final shoot. "Try to put your all into this," hissed Kyoko mockingly. "Moreover, you should really learn how to act."

His anger continued to steadily build up. _I can act just fine! That attitude pisses me off!_

The final shoot was a success, and all the actors went to change back into their normal clothes.

* * *

Kyoko was bursting with joy at her success. _I lost myself in acting and performed wonderfully! Even though **he** was here, I didn't lose sight of my goal. I got back at him a little._ She smiled to herself. _This is the first time since I found out about the baby that I've been so happy and relaxed. _She breathed in deeply, her victorious aura still surrounding her. _Shoko... Will she tell him? If she does, then I guess I'll just have to work through it_ _somehow_.Kyoko was still unaware that Shoko had not even thought that she was pregnant. She finished getting dressed and began to leave. She happily skipped through the hallway until she saw Shou's dressing room, which was open. She glanced inside to see Shou hugging Mimori, who had most likely been crying about his apparent uninterested attitude towards her. She collapsed in his arms spouting nonsensical phrases. Kyoko met his eyes with a terrifying stare.(Mimori's manager came to help remove Mimori from his arms.)

_Damn womanizer... _"So you can spend a few minutes to stop a girl from crying, but it was too much for you to comfort me?" Kyoko coldly questioned.

Shou panicked for an instant at her glare. "A-are you talking about when we were younger?"

"Yup. You used to just stare at me with this dumb look until I stopped crying," she bluntly replied.

"That's all I knew how to do!" he defended.

She turned to walk away. "I knew that, so I stopped crying in front of you to stop troubling you." She continued toward the exit.

"Wait, all those times you disappeared, you were actually crying somewhere?" he asked, sounding hurt.

"Why does it matter to you?! Stop following me! You're so disgusting!" she shouted.

"Ehh?! You're the disgusting one! -That pink uniform is enough to make me vomit!" he argued.

"You have no right to criticize my uniform! It's what I'm supposed to wear!"

"Ha! Ya, right. Just admit you have no sense of style!"

"As soon as you admit that your real name is Shouta-" Shou's hand abruptly covered her mouth.

"Don't. Ever. Say. That. Name," he threatened.

"Or what?" she challenged.

Just then, Shoko and Asami joined their squabble. "Are you two going out?" they asked in sync. The two froze on the spot.

Kyoko quickly answered, "Not now, not ever! That was an argument! This idiot was just annoying me, that's all!" In the otherwise silent hall, they all heard the loud trill of her phone. "Ahh, excuse me." _  
_

"Ahh... So you finally pick up, Mogami-san?" a warm voice greeted.

"Ts-Tsuruga-san...?!" she replied, dumbfounded. Shou snapped at the name alone. _That... name... What...?_ he thought."I'm fine," she assured the person on the other end. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"Well, now that you mention it... After you sounded so depressed on the phone call the other day... I couldn't help but worry about you when you left a completely nonsensical message on my phone," Ren responded.

Kyoko flipped out. _I-I forgot to call him back! I was so focused on acting after Moko replied that I must've forgotten...! He can't know I was working with Shou! _"Ahh- that! Don't worry! I'm completely fine."

"Fine? After that voicemail I have a hard time believing that... I'm just glad you picked up this time." _This time? He called more than once?! He was worried about me?_ "Kyoko? Hello?"

"Oops, sorry! It's just that today's work went well, so I just wanted to tell you. I'm sorry about the confusion."

"What went so well?" he asked.

"I got a job offer..." she began before her phone was rudely removed from her hands.

"Ya, she was in my PV," Shou arrogantly spat into the phone, "that's what her good news was." He hung up immediately afterwards.

Kyoko gave him a death glare and practically screamed, "WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT FOR?!"

"That was Tsuruga Ren, right?"

"Yeah, he's my senior at LME!"

"So, as your senior, he has to call you? Yeah, right. What sort of relationship do you have?"

"None of your business! It's not like that anyway!"

"I thought you hated him!" Shou yelled.

"The only reason I said I hated him was **_because of you!_ **All the trust I had from him is now _**GONE! **_This is all _**YOUR FAULT!**_" Her screaming was interrupted by another ring of her cell phone. Shou ignored her for the most part and simply answered it.

"Hello, what made you decide to call back?" Shou 'kindly' greeted.

The puzzled voice at the end of the line disregarded his line and continued, "I'm with the Tokyo Medical Clinic calling for Kyoko Mogami. Is she available?"

Kyoko was still angrily ranting, so Shou kept up the conversation. "Uhhh... no, but I can take a message for her."

"Okay, tell her to call back soon, it seems she forgot to make another appointment after she left the other day. Thank you, have a nice day," the friendly receptionist said.

"O...kay?" he said as he hung up. "Kyoko," he called, getting her attention, "why did the Tokyo Medical Clinic call and say you need another appointment?"

* * *

Ugh... Looooooooooong chapter. Did anyone actually make it to the end without skipping around? Sorry... I didn't want to break it up into more than one chapter. Hope you liked it!


	9. Chapter 9

I'm alive! I decided to update this story first because it has a larger following and left off in kind of a mean place. It's kinda hard to update from a phone. Well enjoy!

* * *

_"Why did the Tokyo Medical Clinic call and say you needed another appointment?"_ The words swam in circles, unrelentingly attacking her mind.

_Kyoko! Wake up!_ screamed one of her demons. _WAKE UP!_

Kyoko's eyes snapped open. She jerked her mind alert and quivered at the familiar touch of Shou holding her. His arms were underneath her back and head; as soon as she had begun to fall he caught her and gently laid her down, though still supporting her upper body.

"GET THE HELL OFF ME!" she yelled as she attempted to punch him in the face. He backed away from her and let her attack the air where he had been. With no longer anyone to support her, she fell several inches to the ground.

"What the heck is wrong with you?! I save you from a nasty blow to the head and this is the thanks I get?!"

Kyoko rubbed her now sore head. "What... happened?" she said and looked around. Shoko and Asami were concernedly gathered around her.

Kyoko remained in a dazed state as Shou explained, "I just mentioned some phone call from a Tokyo Medical something-or-other and you suddenly passed out. You weren't out for very long, surprisingly. You're lucky I have amazing reflexes or you might have been hurt," he bragged. "What was that about anyway? You sick or something?"

"No... I-I mean, yes! Yes. So sick. Very sick. Terminal illness. Maybe cancer. I'm not sure yet. That's why I needed another appointment," she lied unconvincingly.

Everyone raised an eyebrow. "Kyoko, I'm not an idiot," he said.

"Yes you are...," she grumbled.

"First you throw up and then you faint, you've gotta be sick, or something," Shou accused. Kyoko scoffed at his ignorance. _It's your damn fault, moron!_

Shoko's face altered with sheer realization. _She threw up more than once?! That's a common symptom of... And the appointment and what she said to me seems to further support that... Maybe I'm crazy, but I think she might be pregnant, _she thought as the truth dawned upon her.

"Just tell us what's the matter," Shou urged.

Kyoko lost all morale and was only able to make eye contact with the ground and twiddle her fingers. _No... I don't want to tell him._.. she innerly sobbed. "It isn't any of your concern!" She closed her eyes and pushed back the tears. One, however, managed to escape and catch Shoko's attention.

"Shou," Shoko began, "that's enough prying. Leave Kyoko alone."

"Not until I find out what is wrong!"

"Shou. Leave," she commanded. "You've done enough."

Shou stumbled backwards, shocked at his manager's angry tone. "Heh, fine. I won't bother you two anymore. I didn't even care about your stupid sickness anyway. C'mon, Asami, let's go." Shou snaked his arm around Asami as they slowly made their way from the pair.

Kyoko choked back her sobs and carefully stood up. Shoko directed her to a couch in Shou's dressing room. Immediately after Shoko shut the door, Kyoko began bawling. Shoko sat down next to her and began stroking the younger girl's hair softly. Kyoko swiftly wrapped her arms around Shoko and cried into her shoulder.

"I-I'm sorry... Only a few people know, so it's hard to find people to confide in... And I was just so scared that he'd find out...," Kyoko whispered.

"So it's true...? You're really...," Shoko began.

"You didn't know?" Kyoko asked, puzzled, unwrapping herself from the hug.

"Not for certain, but I guessed after a while." _"Please don't tell Shou!"_ Shoko's mind replayed. "It's... Shou's?"

Kyoko meekly nodded, nervously biting her lip. "Don't worry, I won't screw up Shou's career by involving him in this and causing a huge scandal. That would be dirty and low. I'm still gonna beat him through acting."

"But if you have a child..."

"Don't underestimate me," Kyoko said forcefully. "I can push through it. Just... Please... I don't want Shou to know about this. I know I'm being selfish, but knowing him, he wouldn't care anyway."

"You're going to need financial support undoubtably. Shou has plenty money from his songs to help out..."

"No. I want to do this on my own." _I wouldn't spend another minute with that mindless, hateful, selfish idiot if I had the option_.

"You're such a headstrong, independent woman... Not many have the courage to become single parents... Regardless, you can't hide it forever. He's going to find out eventually," Shoko tried.

Kyoko looked her in the eye, determined. Her demonic aura suddenly swept over the room and evaporated all the tears she had shed. "Not if I can help it. You'll comply, right, Shoko?" Kyoko hissed. Kyoko stood up and left without another word.

* * *

-**A week later**-

Kyoko sat at a desk in LME doing paperwork, zoning off as usual.

*RING* her phone screamed at her.

She answered, "Hello?"

"Hello, is this Kyoko Mogami?" a soft voice replied.

"Yes, who is this?"

"I'm with the Tokyo Medical Clinic. The other day I left a message with a friend of yours, but he didn't appear to have conveyed the message."

Her eyes narrowed. "Ahh... I got it... Sorry I was a bit too busy to respond... Could you please not call that line during the day?"

"I'm sorry, was that time inconvenient?"

"Just a little," Kyoko angrily growled. She somewhat bitterly made the appointment that had almost given her away. As she said farewell to the receptionist, she sensed a strong evil aura emitting from somewhere nearby. She tiptoed to the source of the atmosphere: Ren. Yashiro, Ren, and Maria were in the hallway chatting away.

"Onee-san!" Maria happily shouted from down the hall when she spotted her. She motioned for Kyoko to join them.

She walked to the group and greeted, "Good afternoon!"

"Good afternoon!" Maria and Yashiro happily responded.

Ren acknowledged her presence with a glare.

"I-I'm sorry about the phone call the other day. I would've called back, but I figured you were busy..."

"Ahhh... It's okay... I understand. It wasn't your fault, after all. It was Fuwa Shou's," he said with a cheerful tone. He managed to smile brightly enough to blind Kyoko. _Oh no, he's furious! Why did that damn bastard have to screw things up so badly?!_ "Did you get the revenge that you so badly wanted?" _Oh, he's mad because he thinks my motive was revenge._

"I didn't go there to get revenge!" she shouted quite believably.

Ren's eyes turned cold and angry, his face now visibly demonic. Maria watched, dumbfounded. She had never seen this side of Ren. "Oh, so you actually wanted to be in Shou's PV, is that it?" he snarled. "I'm so happy for you." Kyoko panicked and trembled as Ren stormed off in a inhuman rage. Maria stayed behind with her, and Yashiro ran after Ren.

After a moment of silence, Maria intoned, "Wow... I've never seen Ren so angry."

"You should stick around with me... I seem to have the knack for making him furious..."

* * *

**Later**

"Ren, you have to wipe that glare off your face, or you will damage your reputation," Yashiro scolded.

"What glare?" Ren said sunnily, although he was still angrily glaring.

"The one you've been making since Kyoko said she didn't take her job for revenge. You're so overly jealous that you're scaring everyone around us." Ren attempted to soften his features, now maintaining a slight smile. "Better. Why are you so angry anyway? It's not like she would be easily swayed by anyone, even Fuwa Shou, if that was your thinking."

"You don't know Fuwa's and Kyoko's past...," Ren growled.

"Huh? Did they used to have some sort of relationship? Why should you know it anyway?"

"I guess you could say that," Ren mumbled.

"What sort of relationship did they have to make you so jealous?"

"I'm not really in a position to talk about it. Go ask them yourself."

Yashiro gloved his hand and reached into his pocket, pulling out Ren's cell phone. "Really? I say that you should just tell me instead." His hand inched toward the phone.

"How did you get my phone?! Yashiro! No!"

His hand stopped. "So you'll tell me now?"

"I'm just saying we solve this rationally," Ren said with a relieved yet panicked tone.

"While that may be the normal thing to do, but I wouldn't say we are normal people."

"Please! I need that phone!" Ren grabbed at his cell phone but missed.

"Then I propose you give me some information that I desire..."

"I can't. It's not either of our businesses anyway."

"We'll then I guess you need a new phone," Yashiro said as he transferred the phone to his other hand.

* * *

**Elsewhere**

"Hey, Shou," Shoko began.

"Ya? What is it?" he responded irritatedly.

She had finally gathered up the courage to ask Shou some questions regarding Kyoko's pregnancy. "Okay, I need to ask you some things. Remember that these situations are only hypothetical."

"O...kay?"

"Don't get the wrong idea from this, but what would you do if you got a girl pregnant?" she managed awkwardly.

"What the heck? Of all things, why did that go through your mind? That'll never happen."

"Just hypothetically though," she urged, hoping to get an answer that Kyoko wouldn't kill him for.

"Geez, what's with you? Well, if it was someone like you I wouldn't be too displeased if that's what you wanted," Shou purred.

"I'm not pregnant." Shoko gulped. "Say... What if Kyoko was pregnant...?"

Shou eyed her in confusion. "Her? What made you think of that?"

"I was just doing a lot of thinking recently. Just answer the question."

"Just drop it. I know you're trying to convince me that I like her but I really don't. You sure have a weird way of going about it though."

_Not really considering what's happened... And just by the way you look at her anyone could tell that you're lying..._ "You seemed to like her enough to sleep with her."

Shou's eyes launched open. "H-how'd you know that?!" he stammered.

_Oops_. "Uhh... Umm... I'm pretty good at guessing, huh?" Shoko tried as an excuse."

"Ya... Almost too good to be true..."

"Really? And the way you practically died inside when she said she didn't hate Tsuruga Ren wasn't out of love, huh?"

"It's not love, I just feel possessive of her. She still belongs to me, and I have the right to do whatever I please with her," he nonchalantly explained. "Tsuruga Ren has no right to call her."

_Unbelievable. She's always been a slave to him?! Regardless... He may not admit it, but he appears to have developed feelings for her._ "I'm sorry I ever brought it up."

"Ehh, it's okay, I guess. Just lay off the pointless questions from now on." Shoko swallowed nervously and tried to fake a laugh, hoping Shou would forget the whole ordeal.

* * *

**Another week later**

"A drama?! Me?!" Kyoko was stunned at the news Sawara-san had just told her.

"Yes, it's a remake of a very popular show from 20 years ago. It's called Tsukigomori," Sawara elaborated. "It seems you were very highly recommended by Asami."

"A-Asami? From the PV?"

"Yes, it seems her and director Ogata were friends at one point. She showed him the PV and was mesmerized by your performance, and he said he really wants you to participate." _I can't believe this! This is great! I can improve myself as an actress and get back more at Shou!_ Suddenly, Kyoko realized something. _Wait... The baby! I-I... What do I do? Would I be able to still do the drama?_ Amidst her mind-battle, Sawara continued, "Oh, I almost forgot to tell you, Ren is the main actor."

Kyoko froze, her fear manifesting in the surrounding atmosphere. _So I would have to deal with the stress of worrying about people finding out and a man who turns into the devil whenever he sees me?!_ "...I need some time to think." She left and went to the locker room whet she saw Moko.

"What's wrong?" Moko asked.

"Huh? Nothing at all."

"How come you make me tell you everything about me, but I hardly know a thing about you?! I thought we were supposed to be friends!" Kanae yelled. Kyoko's eyes watered up, distressed at the statement.

"I-I... Just so much has happened... I wouldn't even know where to start...," she confessed.

"Why don't you start at the beginning?"

* * *

Hi! Not how you expected? Don't worry, I have everything planned, and I promise it's pretty dramatic if I do say so myself. Thanks a ton for reading! Update will be up shortly. I would very much love reviews if you don't mind :)


	10. Chapter 10

Wow. Thanks for all the support I've been getting! It means a lot to me!

Random notice: I'm thinking this is at about a midway point for the story.

I hope you like this chapter!

* * *

"Wow... Who would've guessed your life would be so... troubled," Kanae said in response to Kyoko's lengthy rant in the privacy of a karaoke box about her childhood and abandonment. "I thought you were a die-hard Fuwa fan, not that you were out for revenge on him!"

"NO! HOW COULD YOU EVER THINK I LIKE HIM?!" Kyoko yelled, hoping that the karaoke box would muffle the inhuman noise.

"Relax. It just seemed you had a big reaction whenever he was involved." Kyoko stopped squirming and tried to regain sanity. "So why didn't you sell the story to the media?"

"And cause a scandal? I'm not low like that. I'd rather get at him through my own abilities. Plus, that kind of scandal wouldn't last very long anyway... especially compared to something like that..." she trailed off.

"Huh? What are you mumbling about?"

"There's more to the story that might make it last longer if I chose to release it, I suppose..."

"What else did he do to you?" Moko asked in concern.

"I'm not going to use it against him, so it doesn't matter anyway," Kyoko said, trying to brush it off.

"I don't care about scandals. I care about you as a friend and your well-being. What. Did. He. Do. To. You?" she angrily stammered.

"Moko-san... I'm fine really."

"No more excuses. I'm your friend, right? You can trust me."

Kyoko inhaled deeply, and tried to muster all the courage she had. _Better to tell her now than before it's too late_. "Moko... I'm pregnant."

Kanae's jaw dropped to the floor. It took her several moments to digest the words before she screamed, "I'LL KILL HIM, THAT GOOD FOR NOTHING BASTARD!"

"Moko-san, calm down! It's my fault too!"

"Calm down? CALM DOWN?! HOW CAN YOU JUST FORGIVE HIM LIKE THAT?! ABANDONING YOU WAS ONE THING, BUT THIS?! I'LL NEVER FORGIVE HIM FOR HURTING MY FRIEND LIKE THAT!" Moko shouted nearly loudly enough for people outside to hear.

"Shhh! If someone hears, it might get around. "

Moko turned the volume down a few notches and regained composure. "You sure that you don't want to spread this around to the press? You could kill his reputation with this!"

"No! Please don't let anyone know!"

"You mean you haven't told anyone yet?!" she exclaimed.

"No... A few people have figured it out, but you are the first person I've actually told of my own free will."

Moko felt extremely touched that she had a friend who could trust her that much. "So what do you plan to do about the baby?"

"Well... I'm going to keep it, but I don't know how long I could keep the fact that I have a child hidden," she confessed. "I might have to lay low for a while to keep the whole thing quiet. I'll probably have to take some time off to get everything worked out. Worst case scenario, I'd have to quit show business altogether to keep it from getting out... "

"Mo! I'd sooner pretend that you and I were married and that we adopted than let you leave behind something you love this much!" she joked, trying to make the situation less heavy.

Kyoko couldn't help but laugh. "Thanks for the offer, Moko-san, but that probably won't happen. I'd find a way to act, even if I had to start over my career as a different person. My stomach's going to get bigger pretty soon, so that excuse wouldn't really work anyway... That's one reason why I'm debating turning down a drama offer..."

"You got a drama offer?!" she exclaimed joyfully.

"Ya... I just don't know if I'll be able to do it... I'm already a few weeks past three months... In the time it'll take to film it, I'll probably be nearing seven months at a minimum... It'll be nearly impossible to hide from the cast and crew."

"If you really want to do this, why not just reveal it to them?"

"They wouldn't drop me from the drama?" she questioned.

Kanae shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. Depends on the schedule and director's willingness to work around you along with the weight of your role."

Kyoko thought for a moment before going pale. "Tsuruga-san is part of the cast. And he's already mad at me anyway for Shou's PV even though I said it wasn't for revenge! If he found out about this... AHH! Just thinking about it scares me!"

"Hmm... If it wasn't revenge... could it be... jealousy?"

"No! He's hated me from the first time we met!"

"Oh... Then maybe he saw through your lie? Maybe he was angry that you tried to trick him?"

"I never thought of that... I guess that's a pretty good explanation actually..."

"Of course it is! Now are you going to do the drama or not?"

"I-I... I really want to," Kyoko admitted. "I think I'm going to try, but I'm also going to try and hide it from everyone, except the director- I could see if it would be possible to get my scenes out of the way quickly."

Moko sighed. "I don't think it will be quite that easy. Who knows, though? You might have an understanding director. Good luck." She smiled encouragingly before she had to take off. The two said their goodbyes and went their separate ways.

* * *

**A few days later**

Kyoko excitedly skipped down the hallway to her first meeting for Tsukigomori, an original Tsukigomori script in hand. _A young lady! I get to play the role of a young lady!_ She hummed happily, without a care in the world. _That is, I will be if they don't drop me..._ She wallowed in self-pity until she heard faint sobbing. Expecting a young woman, she turned the corner and was surprised at the delicate man before her. She contemplated going out to comfort him, but Yashiro appeared out of nowhere.

"Don't worry, Ogata-san, President Takarada just wanted a word with Ren. He should still be able to be in this."

"It's just... If Tsuruga-san can't be part of this, I'm afraid I won't be able to make a Tsukigomori to surpass the one from twenty years ago!"

"That isn't any concern, Takarada-san just needed to talk to him quickly. I'm sure it's nothing."

Kyoko tiptoed into the room and silently walked up to the pair. "Um, excuse me, mind if I join in?"

"Kyoko-san? What are you doing here?" Yashiro asked.

"Kyoko-san? It's nice to meet you! I'm the director, Hiroaki Ogata!"

"You too! I look forward to working with you!"

"You're in this too?!" Yashiro exclaimed. "Ren will be glad to hear that!"

"Ahh, you and Ren know each other?" Ogata wondered aloud.

"Yes, he's my senior at LME." _Though he's pretty mad at me at the moment. _Kyoko suddenly became visibly anxious, shaking and sweating slightly. The familiar feeling of nervousness rushed over her, reminding her of the conversation she had planned out in her head on the way here. "Ummm... D-Director Ogata-san... Could I please have a word with you? In private..."

Yashiro and Ogata looked at her confusedly. "Please don't say you can't do it! I need a Mio who is better than the one from twenty years ago!" Ogata worriedly shouted.

"That wasn't my intention," she said, shaking her head. "I just need to clarify some things."

Ogata suddenly looked relieved. "As long as you aren't canceling on me, I'd be more than happy to answer any questions." Kyoko smiled, thankful she had gotten such a fragile and kind director. She hoped his reaction would be gentle and that he wouldn't kick her out. He showed her to an empty office, leaving Yashiro alone in the room. "So what did you need to ask or tell me?"

"I'm not sure I will be able to perform in Tsukigomori...," she began.

Director Ogata frowned and trembled. "I knew it! Why is everything backfiring on me?!" he sobbed.

"No! I might be able to! My schedule is pretty strange at the moment, though, so I think I'd only have the next two and a half months maximum to film," Kyoko elaborated.

"It's very hard to make filming fit the schedule of every single actor, so maybe your other job would understand?"

"I don't have another job that interferes...," she said with a melancholy tone.

"But then, why? Please... I need you for this drama to be a success!" he begged.

She bit her lip. _If I am serious about this job, I have to tell him this. It would be detrimental to the whole drama if he had to replace me halfway through... _She had already resolved to tell him. It was time. She opened her mouth, slowly rolling the words off her tounge: "I'm... pregnant. I understand if you want to fire me." She clenched her eyes shut an prepared for the worst. Ogata was panicking. He had never encountered a situation like this. He swayed and fell into the nearest chair. Kyoko opened her eyes and realized that he looked like he was going to cry again. She nervously tried to continue, "My doctor said that first pregnancies don't tend to show for a while longer, so I should be able to hold out until it's too visible." The tense silence between the two continued. Ogata's trembling intensified. _It was worth a shot..._, she thought. "I'm sorry... I'll excuse myself..." She opened the door to leave.

"No! Wait!" he called, getting up. "I-I... I'll make it work, just please don't leave this production! Only you could surpass the Mio from the last Tsukigomori!"

Kyoko looked back, eyes full of gratitude. "Really?"

"Yes! When I saw you in Shou's PV, I knew. You possess an unparalleled dark aura and malicious intent! It has to be you!"

"What...? Dark aura? Malicious intent? That's what you liked about me?! I thought I was playing a young lady!"_  
_

"You are! Mio is a girl who holds an inferiority complex towards her sister. She watches from her seclusion and becomes more twisted as a result. One day, an accident causes a severe injury to her face, and since that day, she hasn't smiled again. Her even more introverted personality is at full force, directed at her sister's happiness. Her hatred will be used against her sister, Mizuki, who is full of dreams and joy, desperately awaiting the return of her beloved. So, truly, she is just a troubled a young lady!" Ogata explained.

Kyoko's face fell. Her mood changed from hopeful anticipation to crushed. "I don't want this role!" she cried as she fled from the room in the direction of the larger room from earlier.

"Wait! Kyoko!" Ogata shouted as he tried to follow her. Just as he neared the door, however, he was nearly knocked off his feet by Kyoko running in the opposite direction.

"NOOOOOOOOO!" she screamed as she flew back into the office, slammed the door, and hid behind the desk.

"K-Kyoko?! What's going on?" Ogata spun from the door to the direction of Kyoko. Immediately, the door began to open, so he turned around to face the person who had just entered. "Ahh! Ren!" Ogata turned around again and watched as the desk jolted.

"Ogata-san, would you mind telling me where I could find Kyoko?"

* * *

These later chapters just keep getting longer and longer compared to the older ones =_=

Sorry to those who don't like to read wordy stuff haha

Thanks for reading! Again, baby name suggestions would be nice! Thanks to the two people who have so far!


	11. Chapter 11

I'm so sorry, everyone! So much has happened: Okay, so I gave my phone to my friend to update it with his developers account, and he completely fried it! All my pictures from the past two years: all the vacations I took and just random pictures with my friends gone! It's not like I wanted memories to take with because I'm moving... Who needs pictures anyway... Oh, and did I mention that I had two almost-finished chapters (one for this story, one for the other)? And you would think that I would be smart enough to backup my phone before giving it to him? -Hahahaha. No. Ugh! Why is life so frustrating?! At least I've learned something from the experience.

The whole ordeal put me over the edge. I'm just too mentally destroyed to continue both stories at the same time, so I'm putting the other one on hold. Better I do one thing well than two things mediocre. I think this is all my poor brain can take.

Thanks so much for waiting, and sorry for the gap. Don't worry, I won't be dropping either story. Once I start something, I like to see it through.

Thanks to everyone who offered a name suggestion/s! I have a much broader range of names to choose from now! I saw so many brilliant/beautiful names I've never heard of O.O I've narrowed it down a little, but there are just so many good names T-T

Well, you've survived the rant, if you really read it.

Enjoy!

* * *

"Yashiro, what sort of relationship do those two have?" Ogata nervously asked.

"Kyoko and Ren? Why?"

"One minute she tells me one thing to make me think their relationship is going great, then the next she's bolting away from him."

"That sums up their relationship quite nicely, actually. You see, they both are idiots when it comes to their feelings for each other."

There was a moment of silence as Ogata thought. He finally spoke, "To think, for the first time in his acting career, Ren has done something to cause such an enormous scandal."

"Ehhh? It's a big scandal to you? You think that people will take interest in this?" Yashiro was a bit confused that someone other than himself or the president had taken an interest in their romance.

"Absolutely. How could they not?"

"Well, it isn't that big of a story. After all, things like this happen quite often in the entertainment world."

"More or less, I suppose...," Ogata sheepishly agreed, not wanting to argue. "I'd still say it'll probably get a lot of media attention if it's discovered."

"That's definitely true. After all, it's not everyday that the top actor of Japan falls for a newcomer," Yashiro happily declared.

"You think they'll get married?"

Yashiro nearly choked on the water he was drinking, spitting everywhere as he tried to breathe. "M-married?! A little soon for that, wouldn't you say?"

"Not really," Ogata answered abruptly. Yashiro gaped at him, amazed that someone else could not only pinpoint their love but also be so adamant about an outcome.

"R-really? I kind of always hoped there would be wedding bells in the future, but Kyoko is much too young at the moment! She's only sixteen!"

"I suppose... But people can get married at her age."

"Just barely! And that's mainly in the case of a pr-"

The two were cut off by the footsteps of Ren and Kyoko. Ren led the way to the room, giving off a false relieved aura so as to comfort Kyoko. His eyes shed light on his true emotion: jealousy. His piercingly malicious eyes, burning with fury, threatened to kill anyone in his way. Kyoko followed with her head hung, smiling softly but worn out from the bowing and apologizing.

**Flashback**

"Ogata-san, could you give us a moment?" Ren asked smoothly as he moved toward the desk.

"O-of course!" he answered as he speedily shuffled out of the room, shutting the door behind him.

Kyoko wouldn't move. Overwhelmed, she continued to crouch in fear and tremble like a mouse. _No! No! No! No! Noooooo! What do I do?! I intended to apologize before I came here, but I was too busy avoiding him! I've just dug myself deeper into this pit!_ The air thickened, the mortifying silence like a death sentence to Kyoko.

The soft steps resumed, repeating every few seconds, as if they were a slowly ticking bomb. She mentally counted each monotonous click, trying to determine the time of her impending doom. Eventually, they stopped. She knew he was right behind her. She bit her lip and shuddered. Once more, she breathed deeply. Then she meekly turned around and bowed, her gaze meeting the floor.

"Tsuruga-san... I'm sorry... I LIED TO YOU!" she belted. Ren flinched in surprise, expecting a completely different conversation. "I wanted to use Shou's PV as a stepping stone," she confessed. "I didn't want you to be mad at me, so I said it wasn't for revenge. I'm sorry!"

After a moment of dead quiet, Kyoko peered up at Ren. He didn't seem to be angry or pleased; his face was like a stone. _I guess I was naive to believe he'd forgive me,_ she thought sadly. _What was I expecting anyway?_

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Ren's voice broke the silence. "I already knew your initial motives, so why didn't you want me to know?"

Kyoko stumbled upon her words as she attempted to form an answer. "I... well... You... I-I didn't want to lose your trust!" she stammered. "If you were to hate me..."

"I'd never hate you," Ren interrupted. "You accomplished what you set out to do. The PV was a success, right? Then I believe you." He gently smiled at her. Kyoko couldn't stop the blush that covered her face. "Here," Ren offered his hand to her slowly, "we should be getting back soon." Kyoko tentatively allowed Ren to help her up, and the pair began the walk to the main room.

**Present**

"Ren! Kyoko!" Ogata shouted cheerfully at the sight of them. Kyoko immediately took off at that, remembering the details of her role. "Nooooo! Kyoko don't leave me! I can't lose both you and Tsuruga-san!" he cried.

"Who said anything about me leaving?" Ren questioned, his face softening to a gentlemanly glow. Kyoko stopped running to listen.

"President Takarada said it was okay?" Ogata asked hopefully.

Ren suddenly remembered parts of their conversation:

_"Ren," Lory started, "I've noticed something about you lately."_

_Ren's face altered in confusion. "What do you mean?"_

_"The way you lose your composure, the constant alternation of fury and bliss in your eyes, even the depth your acting..."_

_"Huh?"_

_"You're deeply in love with Mogami-san," Takarada stated bluntly. Startled that he had been figured out, Ren snapped alert._

_"H-how...?"_

_"I already told you. It's almost impossible to miss the signs by the way you act." Ren smiled softly. He himself had also begun to notice his erratic behavior. "If I were you, I would unleash some of my playboy charms and lure her into my arms," Lory said with a wink._

_"P-President! Are you condoning a relationship between a high school student and a twenty-year-old man?"_

_"Age is just a number when you think about it," Lory assured. "Besides, it's only a four-year age gap."_

_"Still..."_

_"Ren, I'm telling you this for your own good. It's only a matter of time before someone breaks through her defenses and steals her away from you. Just keep that in mind. If you truly love her, use this time you have in the same production to get her to fall for you."_

"Permission wasn't even what the conversation was about!" Ren conveyed.

"What was it about then?" Ogata wondered.

"...Nothing!" Ren yelled, a subtle blush washing over his face.

"Defensive much?" Yashiro asked rhetorically as he elbowed Ren in the arm.

Ren eyed his manager with an annoyed look and continued, "It doesn't matter what it was about. I have full support going into this drama, and that's all that matters."

Ogata's face softened in relief. "Let's make a Tsukigomori able to surpass the original," Ogata said, clasping Ren's hand. The three turned to Kyoko.

"C'mon," Ren urged and gestured to her with his open hand. She cautiously took it and joined hands with the others in preparation for the journey ahead.

* * *

**A few weeks later**

Filming for the now named "Dark Moon" had commenced. The schedule had been sped up drastically thanks to Ogata's urging, much to the other actors' and actresses' dismay. Everything was to be finished approximately one month prior to the original plan. Mio's scenes were to be out of the way in just under two months, meaning Kyoko probably wouldn't have to worry about being too big for everyone to notice. However, the set was already full of gossip and suspicion over the reasons for the schedule change.

"Why does Director Ogata bend to the desires of the Mio girl?"

"Rumor has it that she's sleeping with him."

"Whaaaaat?! No way! That doesn't fit either of their personalities at all!"

"I agree, she's really scary and he's too timid!"

"No, there's this other rumor that she threatened to leave the production and take Tsuruga-san with her."

"How did that boring girl captivate both of them?!"

"She probably just blackmailed them into doing her bidding."

"What a repulsive girl..."

_It was just a little schedule change... I didn't mean to upset everyone... But that doesn't give them the right to try and belittle my acting ability! I've worked hard for this! They won't get me down!_

Kyoko attempted to block out the constant rude remarks of the schoolgirls who were extras in the school scenes and several other actresses. More often than not, she would butt in, threats, curses, and shouts lashed in the girls' directions. She tuned her anger into her acting, partially fueling the bitter hatred in her Mio persona. Kyoko built a Mio with immense depth, her evil smile haunting, her short hair intriguing, and her emotional scar poignant. The previous actress who portrayed Mio was blown away, amazed at her dedication and version of Mio; she was one of the few actresses with a lesser role than Kyoko who condemned the rumors and cast them aside, knowing their untruthfulness.

"Cut! Great job, everyone! Please get ready for the next scene," Ogata directed cheerfully.

Kyoko bent down, panting quietly, as if trying to breathe.

Ogata's signature panic attack nearly kicked in. "Kyoko! What's wrong?"

"I'm fine, just a bit dizzy," she rasped.

"Do you need a break?" Ogata questioned, worried. "We have other scenes we can film."

"It's okay. I can manage," she said with a small grin. Her nausea had subsided several weeks ago, but now she was prone to occasional dizzy spells and shortness of breath.

"No really, it's alright. We need to get some other scenes out of the way at this site, too. Go rest a bit."

Her face brightened. "Thank you, director."

She quietly made her way away from all who were "secretly" talking about her and sat alone against a her secluded state, she whispered, "Hi, Corn. Thank you for the ability to keep my food down back, but I'd like it if I could consistently breathe without getting lightheaded." Her precious treasure's name had become an affectionate nickname for her baby. _In his memory... In memory of such a beautiful fairy... By his power, you are no longer related to that monster._ She took out the blue stone and pressed it to her belly soothingly. "Surely the fairy prince will grant you his magic through this." She smiled and closed her eyes, envisioning him standing beside her and her baby. "If only he was still in this world... Why is fate so cruel?!" she sobbed, her trademark bawling apparent as she rolled around the floor, occasionally slamming her fist into the ground in remorse. The habitual fit of violence slowly ended, and she resumed her conversation. "I love you, Corn," she intoned softly and fondly, referring both to her prince and the baby. She opened her eyes, her eyelashes fluttering as she blinked several times, some final tears leaking out and cascading down her face. As she regained her vision, she became aware of the presence in front of her: Ren Tsuruga, looking as if a bolt of lightning had struck him.

* * *

Dun dun dun haha

I'm sorry I'm terrible at suspense haha; it's not exactly my forte.

By the way, Corn/Kuon will not be the name, though I really like the idea. It'll just be a nickname.

Thanks for reading!


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